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MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS'
BY
ELIZABETH HARCOURT MITCHELL
author of
'the beautiful face* 'golden horseshoes
'grains of wheat' etc.
LONDON
CHURCH EXTENSION ASSOCIATION
6 PATERNOSTER ROW, E.G.
1885
/7a;./.^
e\^N L.
LONDON : PRINTED BY
SPOTTISWOODK AND CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE
AND PARLIAMENT STREET
TO
THE MOTHER SUPERIOR
AND
THE SISTERS OF THE CHURCH
UNDERTAKEN AT THEIR REQUEST
ARE
Jiffcctionafcli? ^ebicaleb
>
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Creation , . . . i
l^IGHT •••••...,. 3
Growth 5
The Image of God 7
The Fall 9
Shame 11
The Sentence 13
The First Death 15
The Walk with God . . . . . . .17
The Depravity of Man 19
The Building of the Ark 20
The Shut Door 22
The Dove 24
The Sacrifice 26
The Blessing 28
The Covenant 30
The Tower and the City 32
The Confusion of Tongues 3 ;.
Abram's Altar 33
Abram's Deceit 38
The New Beginning 40
Wealth and Strife 42
LoT*s Choice ......... 44
vi CONTENTS,
PAGE
Abram's Portion . . 46
The Battle with the Kings 48
Melchizedek's Blessing 50
The Faith of Abram 52
The Covenant with Abram 54
Impatience for Blessings 56
The Covenant with Abram 58
Abraham's Hospitality 60
Abraham's Intercession 62
Lot's Warning 64
Looking Back 66
The Dream of Abimelech .69
The Promise Fulfilled 71
Hagar 73
Abraham's Sacrifice 75
Isaac and Rebekah 77
Esau's Birthright 79
Isaac's Sowing and Reaping 81
The Three Wells 83
The Reconciliation 85
The Two Blessings 87
The Hatred of Esau 89
Jacob's Ladder 91
Bethel 93
The Sheep and the Well 95
Leah and Rachel 97
The Children of Jacob 99
The Riches of Jacob loi
MizPAH 103
Jacob's Return 104
Peniel 106
The Honours of Jacob 108
Renewal no
CONTENTS.
Vll
The House of God ....
The Sorrow of Jacob
The Death of Isaac
The Separation of Esau and Jacoi?
The Envy of Joseph's Brethren .
Joseph's Dreams ....
Joseph's Search for his Brethren
Reuben's Half-heartedness
Joseph in the Pit .
The Selling of Joseph .
The Sorrow of Jacob
Joseph amongst Strangers
Joseph Tempted
Joseph falsely Accused .
Joseph in Prison
Joseph as Interpreter .
Joseph Forgotten .
Joseph at Court
Joseph as Counsellor
Joseph's Advice
Corn in Egypt .
The Discipline of the Hardened Soul
The Suffering of the Waiting Soul
The Remorse of the Awakening Soul
Working in the Dark .
The Resignation of the Sorrowful Soul
The Brother's Yearning
Joseph's Feast .
Joseph's Cup
Judah's Offer .
The Reconciliation
The King's Gifts
Israel's Sacrifice
PAGE
III
115
117
119
121
123
125
127
128
130
132
134
13s
137
138
140
142
143
145
147
149
151
153
155
157
159
161
163
164
166
168
170
vin
CONTENTS.
Seventy
The Meeting of Jacob and Joseph
Redemption ....
Jacob's Last Longing
Unexpected Blessings
Joseph's Filial Reverence
EpHRAIM and M4NASSEH .
The Blessing of the Brethren
The Blessing of Judah .
The Cave of Machpelah
The Body of Joseph
PAGE
172
179
181
182
184
186
188
190
MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
©trcafton.
jRrst Prelude, Picture : Chaos ; a streak of light in
the distance.
Second Prelude, Prayer : O God, grant me grace
that my understanding may be enlightened, and my will
moved, in order that this meditation may be profitable
to Thy glory and the particular needs of my soul.
Consideration.
The earth was without form and void. We do not
know whether it was once beautiful, and had been after-
wards shattered and ruined, but this opinion is warranted
by the Hebrew text. A mass of confusion, darkness,
and ruin. Nothing for the eye to rest upon. Nothing
to give any hope or comfort. An inert mass of matter,
utterly helpless. No spark of life, no breath of move-
ment. Not only helplessness, but utter confusion. Not
only utter confusion, but total darkness. Not only
covered with total darkness, but a prey to the wild waste
of stagnant waters. Forsaken, left to itself, what could
it do but become more utterly waste and ruined ? But
B
0^
MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
God leaves none of His works to themselves. The
Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. Where
the Spirit of God comes light and life are sure to follow.
Application.
Is my soul in a state of confusion ? Without form
and void? It was once beautiful with the glow of the
Sun of Righteousness upon it, shining through the
baptismal dew. Perhaps it seems as if it had never been
beautiful at all, but always in a state of barrenness and
desolation. Perhaps I cannot arrange my thoughts,
all seems darkness, all seems confusion ; perhaps I can
do no good deeds, I know not which to do first, I know
not what to do nor where to look. I am left alone and
utterly desolate, the deep waters of despair coming up
around me in every direction. Take courage; the
Spirit of God only leaves those who wish Him to leave
them. The Spirit of God is brooding over the waters.
The Spirit of God is consecrating the waters of baptism
for the unbaptized. The Spirit of God is lighting up
the tears of repentance for the baptized who have fallen
away.
Affection.
O Blessed Spirit of God, move over my heart that it
may be no longer without form and void. Without Thee
all is darkness and confusion ; the heaven of my mind,
the earth of my body, are equally helpless for good
without Thee.
Resolution.
To ask for the help of the Holy Ghost before
beginning prayer or work.
Thought.
* I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver
of Life.'
LIGHT.
gXij^i.
First Prelude. Picture : The Eastern sky glowing
with light.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
* And God said, Let there be light ; and there was
light.' When God speaks it is done. One moment
suffices to turn the whole waste, desolate scene to glowing
light. The light rising over glittering waters — what a
glorious picture ! But God judged His own work : He
pronounced the light good. God not only saw and
judged His own work, but He divided it from the
darkness. The Maker of the universe was careful in
His work. He made, He saw, He judged. He placed
it. He divided the good from the bad ; or rather, He
divided the greater good from the lesser good, the Day
from the Night Power, wisdom, judgment, discrimina-
tion — all these were employed by God in His work.
What a contrast to the slovenliness and carelessness of
man i
Application.
When the Spirit of God has touched my heart, the
first thing I need is light. Light to see myself as I am.
Light to know the truth. False lights are wandering
about amongst the marshes ; it is only by the help of
God that I can know the light to be good. It is only
B2
MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
by the Spirit of God that I can divide the light from the
darkness. It is only by the Spirit of God that I can
know when my heart needs the day, and when it needs
the night ; when it needs work, and when it needs
repose. (xOD grant that I may never wilfully prefer the
darkness. When it is dark, we see not our faults ; when
it is dark, we see not God's goodness. I would rather
see my own deformity, however dreadful it may be, and
praise God for His goodness in sending me the light,
than remain in my ignorance, and fancy all is right.
The conviction of my sinfulness must be my first step
to repentance.
Affection.
O Blessed Giver of Light ! I mourn that I have
been so long content to remain in darkness. Help me,
that I may search my heart and drag to light whatever is
displeasing to Thee !
Resolution.
To search my heart by the light of God's Holy
Spirit.
Thought.
* In Thy light shall we see hght.'
GROWTH.
^xoxoi\).
First Prelude, Picture : A blade of grass appearing
above the ground.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.
Consideration. '
After chaos came the glimmering of light After
light, division, order, sorting, the waters dividing from
the waters, the dry land appearing. The earth was
separated from the sea, the waters gathered into one
place, everything was being prepared for growth. The
earth was not to remain barren and useless, the grass,
the herb, the tree, were to be brought forth. The little
green blade of grass appeared above the ground ; then
the herb, useful and good, grew up containing its seed
in itself ; then the great and beautiful fruit trees raised
their lovely forms, and blessed the world with their red
and golden fruit, more beautiful probably than anything
we now see upon this beautiful but ruined world.
Luxuriant vegetation, cool, refreshing, useful, and
beautiful, and all endowed with the power of propa-
gation.
Application.
When God gives light to my soul, He gives the
power to separate the waters from the waters. Order
and precision follow chaos and confusion. Things are
put into their proper places, occupations are assigned to
their proper times. A space for prayer is marked off,
MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
a rule of life is carefully prepared, and then I may expect
growth, I must not be disappointed if at first there is
only a little blade of grass ; it may be very small but it
is fresh and green. This is my first good work done
for God and not for self. In a little while I shall do
better. I shall see the herbs growing, the useful herbs
which are to be of service to my kind, the strong solid
actions which are of real use ; and these herbs may
* yield seed,' that is, they are the parents of other good
deeds, and they cause other men to do good likewise.
Take courage, my soul, and look forward to the time
when the beautiful large fruit trees shall grow, deeply
rooted in humility, and giving forth their splendid fruit
in holy joy and charity, the twelve fruits of the Holy
Ghost which never fail to propagate themselves.
Affection.
O God, Who hast caused the earth to bring forth
grass, and herbs, and trees, make my heart fertile in
good thoughts, good words, good deeds, and grant that
these may all have seed within themselves, and bear
good fruit for ever.
Resolution.
Never to be content without some sign of growth,
especially in the matter of. . . .
Thought,
* Grow in grace/
THE IMAGE OF GOD,
^]^c Smagc of (^o5.
First Prelude, Picture: Adam and Eve in their
beauty.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
After the herbs and the trees, more light ; then the
fishes and birds from the waters (the active and the con-
templative life coming forth from the waters of baptism),
then the other parts of creation, step by step ; the living
creatures, cattle, creeping things, and beasts. We are
apt to fancy that all creation was made for man ; on the
contrary it was made for God. * For Thy pleasure they
are and were created.' God has a peculiar pleasure in
beholding His works. And the greatest of His works
upon earth was man. 'Male and female created He
them,' glorious in beauty and equal in dignity, and gave
them the earth to reign over with a loving rule. And
then God rested, and called everything that He had made
good.
Application.
The six working days of creation ended in the pro-
duction of a perfect man and a perfect woman. The
work of re-creation should end in the likeness of the
new Adam being formed in us. Man was first made in
the image of God ; the regenerate man must be formed
in the image of God. Is this work going on in me ?
8 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
Will God ever call me good ? ' There is none good but
God ; ' but God has made it possible for us to partake
of His nature. I was made in the image of God, and
I trace this image now, in my powers of construction,
arrangement, invention, in my love of beauty and good-
ness. But in the New Life, I am not only made in the
image of God, but I have His nature infused into mine
through union with the Second Person of the Holy
Trinity. How am I corresponding to this great grace ?
Am I advancing towards the Perfect Man ? Am I mak-
ing any progress from Adam— Red Earth — to Christ,
the Anointed One ?
Affection.
O God, Thou canst do all things. Restore me to the
Image of God. Thou hast provided all things necessary
for this re-creation, only give me a heart to take advan-
tage of them.
Resolution.
To be satisfied with nothing short of likeness to God.
Thought.
* Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in
Heaven is perfect.'
THE FALL.
^^e %Qi\h
First Prelude. Picture: The serpent speaking to
Eve.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.
CONSTDERATION.
What was the reason of the Fall ? Adam and Eve
were placed in a beautiful garden with every happiness
and delight ; one thing only was denied them — the fruit
of the tree which was in the midst of the garden. God
reserved one tree for Himself ; all the rest He gave to
them. They were neither to touch nor to eat of the * tree
of the knowledge of good and evil.' The Devil was too
strong for them. Moved with envy, and determined if
possible to thwart the designs of God, he made Eve
listen to him, and our first parents fell. Threefold was
the temptation. The tree was good for food j it was
pleasant to the eye ; and a tree to be desired to make
one wise. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, the
pride of life. The world, the flesh, and the devil. Satan
tempted Christ as he had tempted Adam, but Christ
conquered in the desert, and Adam was vanquished in
the garden.
Application.
I have to go through the same temptation. The path
of obedience and the path of disobedience are both open
before me. Shall I fall with Adam, or conquer with
Christ? The love of pleasure, the love of riches, the
lo MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
r^i
love of honours, are all tempting me, and the serpent is
whispering in my ear as he whispered in Eve's. I may
not care for the sweetness of the fruit, I may not care for
the pleasantness to the eye, but I probably do care for
the intellectual snare, the tree to be desired to make one
wise. The wisdom of this world is more to me than the
wisdom of the kingdom of Heaven. Perhaps I am long,
ing to be cleverer and more intellectual than most of my
friends and acquaintances ; but do what I can I can
never attain to the cleverness of Satan, and what good
does it do him ?
Affection.
O mighty Lord Jesus, who overcame Satan in the
desert, have mercy upon me, and lead me in the way of
holy obedience, that I may not fall a prey to the wiles of
the great rebel.
Resolution.
To obey God's command . . . though I may not
understand the reason of it.
Thought.
' God hath said.'
SHAME, 1 1
%\)iXXKi^.
First Prelude. Picture : Adam and Eve hiding.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
What a change ! A change wrought by sin. Man
was the friend of God, and now he becomes His enemy.
God trusted him, and the trust was betrayed. God com-
mitted the beautiful things of Creation to his charge, and
he set them a bad example, and was false to the Creator.
God placed him in the garden to dress it and to keep it,
and he delivered it over to Satan, the enemy of God.
They heard the voice of God walking in the garden in
the cool of the day ; the voice they had so loved, the
voice so kind, so tender — the voice of Divine Friendship.
But instead of meeting it with joy they hid themselves
among the trees of the garden. Their greatest happiness
has now become their greatest shame. One sin has
clianged the whole face of creation, their eyes are opened,
disobedience has brought them knowledge, but that
knowledge has brought with it shame and sorrow.
Application.
I am surprised at Adam and Eve. I wonder how
they could have done such a thing. I feel angry with
them sometimes, because they lost their inheritance and
brought sin and suffering upon me, their child. Let me
see my own guilt. I am placed in a beautiful garden,
II ilBDlTATIONS Off GEMESIS.
the Garden of the Church. I am to dress and keep a
portion of it, which is the garden of toy heart The
Garden of the Church is watered by four rive's — the river
of Baptism, the wateis of Prayer, which, S. Chrysostom
says, should be a cistern in the midst of the garden, the
river of Penitence, to wash out faults, and the refreshing
waters of sacred leamiog, l^ which we come to the know-
ledge of God. I am also allowed to eat of the Tree of
Life, which is the Blessed Sacrament of the Body and
Blood of Christ, and which is in the midst of the garden.
But there is something I want which I may not have —
something which it is die will of God I should not have.
Am I determined to have this ? Am I trying to get it
by an act of disobedience ? It is only when my wish is
thoroughly one with Goo's will, that I can with delight
hear the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden
in the cool of the day.
Affection.
O Great and Almighty Father, grant that I may
never be afraid of Thy voice ; grant that I may never be
driven by temptation to shun Thee. May my sins be
washed out by the tears of penitence and the Blood of
Christ, and not remain to condemn me to the blackness
of remorse.
Resolution.
sten for the voice of God in the evening, ' How
1 spent the day ?'
Thought.
Ver us from (the) evil (one).'
THE SENTENCE. 13
^]^c genfence*
First Prelude, Picture: Adam and Eve before the
light.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
The sentence is passed. Exile. Exile from the place
of sweet communing with God. Exile from the garden
of delights. And what to follow ? Three things. Work,
pain, sorrow. The three things here which make men sad.
Work of a beautiful and happy kind Adam had before,
and it was a blessing to him and not a curse ; but now
the work is to be hard and difficult, and pain and sorrow
are to be added to it. Hope is given to cheer the dark-
ness. Not only hope, but certainty — the coming of
Christ. His labour is to sanctify man's labour ; His
pain is to glorify man's pain. His sorrow — * Was ever
sorrow like unto My sorrow ? ' — His death was to remove
the bitterness of death. By Him the whole region of
pain and suffering was to be lifted up higher ; it was not
to be done away with, but to be invested with a new
teaching.
Application.
Am I discontented with my lot ? Am I greedy for
happiness, and do I repine at pain, sorrow, labour, sub-
jection ? Do I listen to the opinion so loudly proclaimed
in these days, * God meant us to be as happy as possible,
God wishes us to enjoy ourselves ' — and then turn round
14 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
and find that I have little to enjoy and nothing to make
me happy, and so think hard thoughts of God ? God
never sets happiness or enjoyment before us as our aim.
The ultimate perfection of our being, and the closest con-
formity to His will is the real end of man. If I wish my
nature to be disciplined, I must not expect to escape
suffering. I must not wish it Sanctification of suffering,
not immunity from it, must be my aim. Until this tnidi
is grasped my mind will never be at peace. The old
Adam must be crucified. Crucifixion can never be a
happy or a pleasant process.
Affection.
O Merciful Father ! give me courage and faith
that I may accept all the sufferings of this life as the
penalty of the past, the discipline of the present, and the
earnest of victory in the fiiture.
Resolution.
Not to expect happiness for myself, but to do all in
my power to promote the happiness of others.
Thought,
' Thy Will be done.'
THE FIRST DEATH, 15
l[]^e 3firsf S>eaf^.
First Prelude. Picture: Abel lying dead»
Second Prelude. Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
Death was the sentence passed upon man ; and man,
as usual, made God's sentence much worse than it was,
for the first death was caused by murder. Religion, as
so often since, was the pretext. Worship" was the cause
of Cain's hatred. The right method of sacrifice was the
contention. Religious hatreds have ever been the most
violent Cain was worshipping God after his manner,
and yet four of the deadly sins took possession of him, —
pride, envy, anger, and covetousness. And when his
offering was not accepted, instead of trying to find out
whether there might not be some fault in himself, Cain
went out and talked with his brother ; and firom angry
words he came to murderous blows.
Application.
Does not the subject of religion and religious differ-
ences, prosecutions, injustices, excite me more than any
other? If so I must be very careful lest, though I be
right as Abel, my conduct be as violent as Cain's. It
is well to avoid the beginning of contention, lest I be
tempted to speak violent words., In the matter of Cain
and Abel, he who was in the wrong was guilty of the
violence, but in these days those who are in the right
i6 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
sometimes speak strong words because they feel keenly.
*The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of
God.* I must remember that no provocation can justify
violence of word or deed. And when I am attacked
for my religious practices, and especially for * sacrifices/
I must remember the example of righteous Abel, and
fear no mas, so long as my sacrifice is acceptable unto
God.
Affection.
O Lamb of God ! that takest away the sins of the
world, have mercy upon us ! When I join with the
priest and the congregation in offering Thee before
Thy Father, let roe not fear what man can do unto me !
Cain may be watching, but Abel shall still sacrifice !
Resolution.
To offer sacrifice in the Church's way only, whatever
worldly loss or penalty it may cost me.
Thought.
* If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted ?
THE WALK WITH GOD. 17
^]^c iSial^ tt)if]^ <^o5.
jRVi/ Prelude. Picture : An eagle gazing at the sun.
Second Prelude. Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
* All liie days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty
and five years ; ' a figure of a perfect life ; * and Enoch
walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.'
A short life in comparison with that of his father and
that of his son, for Jared his father lived 962 years, and
Methuselah his son lived 969. Enoch was the best man
of the three, and his life was the shortest, and that, too,
at a time when long life was looked upon as a great
blessing, and when tiie stores of heavenly wisdom from
his lips must have been very precious to his descendants.
His father must have looked upon him as cut off in his
prime, for he lived for more than 400 years after Enoch
was taken. And why did God take him? He was a
prophet, and prophesied, * Behold the Lord cometh with
ten thousands of His saints ; ' the seventh from Adam
prophesied thus early the future triumph of Jesus and
the Catholic Chiurch. Did this give offence to the grow-
ing wickedness around him, and did God put His hand
over him to hide him ? Or did the walk with God prove
the occasion of the 'taking'? Those who walk together
in love are very loth to separate. Enoch was blessed
beyond his expectations ; he sought the company of his
God, and he rejoiced in it for ever. Thus was his holi-
ness rewarded, and thus was the knowledge of an im-
mortal life made clear to the increasing darkness.
c
i8 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
Application.
The same God Who loved Enoch to walk with Him
is waiting for me also. How do I respond to the call?
Alas, my eyes are clouded, my ears are deaf, my heart is
deadened by the things of this world ; I answer nothing,
I think only of myself. How much time do I spend
upon the world, how little upon God ! How much
time do I spend upon conversation with my fellow-crea-
tures, how little in prayer to God ! The walk with God
is the most intimate friendship a human being can have
with the Divine Being. Have I ever experienced it?
Do I ever wish for it ? And yet His love is waiting for
me, as it was for Enoch. Enoch gave himself up to it,
and was not allowed even to pass through the river of
death. Let me give myself up to it, and death will have
no bitterness for me.
Affection.
O Father Almighty ! Who gavest Thy friendship
to Enoch even before Thy Son's Atonement, have mercy
upon me, and for the sake of that Atonement teach Thy
baptized though erring child to know the happiness of
walking with Thee !
Resolution.
To spend more time in prayer and meditation.
Thought.
* Draw nigh unto Him, and He will draw nigh unto
you.'
THE DEPRA VITY OF MAN, 19
%%^ Peprat)ifB of ^an.
First Prelude, Picture: A decaying vine bringing
forth corrupt fruit
Second Prelude. Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
Man progresses in the knowledge of the arts and
sciences, but he does not seem to progress in the know-
ledge of God. He dwells in tents, he tends cattle, he
handles the harp and the organ, he works in brass and
in iron. By degrees the knowledge and love of God
grow fainter, and his own corrupt nature asserts itself,
showing that civilisation and religion do not always dwell
together. The two great sins which ruled the world were
impurity and anger. Unlawful desires caused violence,
and the whole earth was corrupt before God and full of
violence. Corruption and violence proceeding from two
passions, love and anger. Self-will reigned supreme ;
* they took ... of all that they chose.^
Application.
Am I presuming upon the mercy of God, and follow-
ing my own self-will? Am I choosing for myself?
Independence of character, a strong will, an immense
ambition, these are the things admired by the world
Utter dependence upon God, self-denial, a will chastened
and humbled, these are the things admired by the whole
Company of Heaven. What are the purposes, the
C2
20 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
desires, the imaginations of my heart? Are they evil
continually, or am I ruling them and obtaining mastery
over them ! Utter destruction overtook those who were
following their own evil desires in the time of Noah ;
have I any reason to believe that utter destruction will
not overtake me ?
Affection.
O Judge of all mankind ! Let me search into my
heart and bring to light all its hidden iniquity. Grant
that I may not be allowed to go on in evil thoughts, evil
words, and evil deeds, but may repent before it be too
late.
Resolution.
To distrust my own choice, and to ask God to choose
for me.
Thought.
* God knoweth the secrets of the heart'
^^c iSmI6in9 of fl^c Jlrfe.
First Prelude. Picture: Noah and his workmen, the
ark partly built, busy mockers watching them.
Second Prelude. Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
Men and women go on in their accustomed manner.
They plant and build ; they feast and dance ; they marry
THE BUILDING OF THE ARK. 2\
and are given in marriage. For a hundred and twenty
years the hammer sounds in that shipbuilding yard of
Noah's. Noah watches his workmen, perhaps 'works
with them : the world watches him and laughs. He
perseveres ; his sons are bom, they grow up, they marry ;
he is still engrossed with God's work, the building of the
ark. His little children ask him for what purpose is
that great boat intended, his grown-up sons wonder at
the little interest everything else possesses in his eyes.
With what pity he must have looked upon the world 1
With what sadness he must have contemplated the very
workmen who obeyed his directions 1 They too were to
be engulfed in the great waters. And still he perseveres,
and still the world laughs at him !
Application.
Men and women still go on in their accustomed
manner. They plant, they build, they feast, they dance,
they marry and are given in marriage. And the world
is to be destroyed, not by water, but by fire. Am I on the
side of the world or on the side of God? Am I build-
ing a sure place of refuge ? A place of refuge to be of
use must be finished : the ark half finished would have
been of no use at all. Do I persevere, or do I only
begin things and then leave them off, because I find
others laugh at me, or utterly neglect them? Faith,
prayer, self-examination, communions, all these are
timbers, bolts, and nails, forming the refuge in the last
great day. God could have saved Noah without the
ark, but He chose to give him 120 years of work in
building it God can save me without the building up
of my spiritual life, but He chooses to exercise me in
this work during a long or a short life. How am I doing
His work ?
22 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
Affection.
O dear Lord 1 Refuge and Ark of sinners, save and
sanctify me, and grant that I may shrink from no work
and no discipline !
Resolution,
To pray for perseverance daily.
Thought.
* Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman
waketh but in vain.'
l^^c ^i&ttf Poor.
First Prelude. Picture : The waters rising ; the mul-
titude clamouring outside the ark.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
Noah, the Preacher of righteousness, preached in
vain. His preaching and his life awakened remorse,
repentance in none. He only saved his own family —
eight persons altogether. Seven is the number of crea-
tion ; eight is the number of regeneration ; one more
than seven, for regeneration is a greater act of love
than creation. The primitive Christians baptized at the
eighth hour, in memory of this mystery. And now the
heedless crowds see that the preaching was true, and the
THE SHUT DOOR. 23
sons who played about the timbers in their childhood
see the use of the great vessel. The long procession
goes slowly into the ark, and when all are safe within,
God Himself shuts the door. The Lord shut him in.
Noah could show no pity to the multitude ; his former
friends, his former workmen, must cry in vain outside ;
the Lord shut him in, and the world was drowned.
Application.
Jesus is the Door, the ark is the Church ; many are
inside, both clean and unclean. Outside is a mocking
multitude. The ark was divided into lower, second, and
third stories ; there are different degrees in the Catholic
Church and in the spiritual life ; some for contemplation,
like winged birds; some for abundant production of
good works, like the fishes ; some for labour and sacri-
fice, like the cattle and the sheep. Let me never despise
the companions with whom I am 'shut in.' God's
Church has abundant work for all. I am saved by water,
saved by water and the Spirit in Holy Baptism ; have I
ever forgotten this, and instead of behaving like a true
child of the Church, joined the mocking multitude out-
side ? Have I ever allowed myself to be called a friend
of the Church, a patron of the Church, instead of a child
of the Church ? Was Noah a patron of God's ark which
saved him? Were Noah's children friends of the ark
which rescued them? Let me, in all humility, thank
God Who has placed me in this * state of salvation.*
Affection,
O^ dear Lord, Thou Who art the true Noah,^ Rest of
the Heart, give my heart rest in Thee, and refuge in the
ark of Thy love.
1 Noah means rest.
24 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
Resolution.
To be content to be * shut in ' by the Lord. To
value my privileges and respect my companions.
Thought
' Rest in the Lord/
l^l^c ^om.
First Prelude. Picture : The dove and the olive
leaf.
Second Prelude. Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
The raven, the bird of prey, soon found rest amidst
the dead bodies and the wreck of the world. The dove
found no rest for the sole of her foot She pined for her
home in the ark. She returned to her home, and Noah
pitied her weakness and pulled her in unto him into the
ark. Next time the dove stayed a little longer, and only
came back to him in the evening. She feared to spend
the night on the dark waste of waters, but when she
came back she brought a message of peace — the olive
leaf. Another interval of rest and patience, and she was
sent forth again ; this time she (idfilled her mission, and
by remaining gave strength to those who had sent her.
THE DOVE. 2$
The soul that loves God is His white dove : she goes
not forth from her peaceful rest, be it the life of prayer,
the life of seclusion, the hidden life, except at His com-
mand; she returns as soon as she can, and finds His
hand stretched out to take her and pull her in unto Him
in the ark. When He sends her forth again, she refuses
not to go, and when she returns it is with a message of
peace. Only when sent a third time will she retiurn to
the world, giving up her own hidden life for the good of
others, finding that thing safe in the way of obedience
which would have been dangerous in the way of self-will.
Application.
Which do I love best, the ark or the world? Is the
life of prayer a delight to me ; do I love to be with God
in the ark — do I seek for rest amid the carcasses of
worldly hopes ? If I am weak, I must not leave the ark
save at the command of God ; and at the first breath of
danger I must fly back to Him. When He sends me
forth I must go gladly, but I must come back to Him in
the evening, and bring peace, not disturbance, to my
family, my community, or my home. If He commands
me again to go forth and bear witness for Him in the
world, I must do so with joy. The dove knew not that
all His creatures were going after her, and we know not
what may follow upon our obedience.
Affection.
O Thou true Noah ! True Rest and Ruler I Let
me ever love to be with Thee, to be close to Thee, and
yet ready to go and to come, to set forth and to return at
Thy good pleasure, bearing evermore the olive leaf of
peace.
MEDTTATIOJ^ ON GENESIS.
To pidet sechi^oD, but to go forth without munnur-
ing at the command of God.
Thought,
' When tfioa passest through the waters they shall
not oveiflow thee.'
l)e 5*^cripce.
First Prtludi. Picture : The smoking altar ; the
deserted ark in the distance.
Second Preiude. Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
When Noah and his company went into the ark, they
left a stniggting, frightened world behind them ; when
they came forth from the ark, they came forth to desola-
tion. There was not one living soul in all the country
round. The teeming cities, the cultivated lands, the
wide grazing grounds full of flocks and herds were all
one scene of solitary devastatioa What a change, and
what a terrible effect of sin ! What was the first thing
*J"-ih did? Did he go and look for the bodies of his
ids ? Did he lament over lost property ? Did he
to make the most of what was left: ? No ; his first
i was to build an altar ; his next to offer of every
in beast and of every clean fowl to the Lord. He
not told to do this ; he did it freely, generously,
ngly out of his own heart Seven of every clean
THE SACRIFICE, 27
bird, and beast came out of the ark. * Little enough,' a
worldly man would have said, * to keep up the supply
for all the earth.' No such thought entered into Noah's
heart. Of every clean beast and fowl he oflfered unto
the Lord.
Application.
After a great shock, after a great change, after a great
trial, after, a great affliction, after a great deliverance,
what is my first deed? To look about and see what I
can save from the wreck? To lament over the days
that are gpne ? To form new plans for the future,
unaided and uncounselled by God ? To mourn over the
little that is saved ; to try and keep as much as I can
for myself? That is what my poor human nature would
do. But I would ratlier follow Noah's example, and
freely throw myself into the arms of God ; build Him an
altar first and offer to Him the best I have, regardless of
the future, regardless of self ; and so consecrate the
desolation of the surrounding prospect by the sacrifice
of a redeemed and grateful heart.
Affection.
My dearest Lord, I thank Thee for having saved me
so often from the consequences of sin. I pray Thee to
give me a willing heart, that everything I have may be
consecrated to Thee.
Resolution.
To put the service of God first in every circumstance
of life.
Thought.
' Gather My saints together unto Me ; those that
have made a covenant with Me with sacrifice.*
28 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
^I)e ^U^s^xxi^.
First Prelude, Picture: The animals surrounding
Noah and his sons, and looking up to them for food.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
Violence and bloodshed were the causes of the Flood.
Against violence and bloodshed God now warns man-
kind. A second time He gives man the dominion over
every beast, and every fowl and fish. A second time
He blesses man, and desires him to multiply. The care
of, and the sovereignty over, all animals are given to
him ; it was a sacred trust, a mark of confidence from
God. How has man used it? Let the sufferings of
animals answer the question. Let overworked horses,
overdriven flocks and herds, and that curse of civilisation,
vivisection, answer. Truly the innocent blood crying to
Heaven for vengeance is not only that of men, women,
and children. Helpless dumb animals have been driven
to despair by those who were entrusted with the care of
them by a merciful Creator. To a generous spirit the
words * Into your hands are they delivered ' should be a
guarantee of kind treatment, a charter of tender and
humane consideration.
Application.
How do I exercise that portion of sovereignty which
falls to my share ? Am I gentle to all creatures ? Am
THE BLESSING, 29
I careful not to overwork any animal ? And am I as
careful of other people's animals as of my own ? Some
people do not mind, for instance, how much horses
suffer as long as they are 'hired' ones, and not their
own. Am I careful to employ humane men to look
after my herds and flocks, and to have the boys I employ
taught to be kind to the animals ? Am I careful if I have
pets that they shall be properly attended to, and not
kept merely for my amusement without regard to their
own health and cleanliness? When it is necessary to
kill animals, do I have it done as quickly and as
humanely as possible ? (for instance, boiling lobsters to
death or bleeding calves to death should be discouraged
by all Christians). Am I thoughtful about every living
thing, taking no pleasure in fights between animals, but
looking forward to the happy time when the lion shall
lie down with the lamb ?
Affection.
O dear Lord Jesus, so kind and good to all, make
me gentle, thoughtful, and considerate to all creation,
remembering that all living things are my fellow creatures,
and knowing that all creation groaneth and travaileth,
waiting for the redemption of all things.
Resolution.
Never to pass an instance of cruelty to animals with-
out rebuke or punishment
Thought.
* The merciful man is merciful to his beast.'
30 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
^]^c §ot)enatt(.
First Prelude, Picture : A rainbow.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
God made a covenant with man, and He chose as the
token of this covenant the most beautiful thing in crea-
tion. The rainbow, no doubt, was familiar to Noah ; he
had often seen it, but now it was invested with a new
meaning. It was a sign of God's love to man ; a sign
that this world should never again perish by water. The
rainbow is caused by the sun and by the rain ; it comes
after a storm ; it is of many colours. The most beautiful
things in the spiritual life are caused by the mixture of
sorrow and joy, of penitence and forgiveness ; they come
after the conflict and after the grief; they are of many
colours — the purple of penitence, the heavenly blue of
hope, the red of holy suffering, the gold of perfect love.
They are all brought out by the sun and by the rain, and
God arranges both after His own good pleasure, and
shows His love to the soul by the beauty of His token.
Application.
God has made a covenant with me ; He will not
destroy my soul in the waters of affliction. He has set
His bow in the clouds ; have I the eyes to see it? Do
I bend my head to the storm and walk with my face to
the earth, too cowardly or too self-absorbed to see what
THE COVENANT, . 31
is going on in the heavens? Or do I rejoice in His
love, watching for His token, and only too glad to point
it out to others? In all the troubles of life God
sends me a rainbow if I will only see it, but if I
turn my back to it and look only at the dark clouds,
what wonder that I am desponding and unfit for joy and
love ? With every storm God sends my heart a message
of love, something to tell me that I am the object of His
care. With every difficulty He sends me a way out of it
With every temptation some strength and comfort. The
rainbow shines and spans the world — a bridge from earth
to heaven !
Affection.
O Holy and Eternal God, open my eyes that I may
see all Thy wondrous mercies to me ! Grant that I may
never be unthankful or desponding, but always turn
cheerfully to Thy promises, and always be faithful to
Thy covenant
Resolution.
To look on the bright side of everything.
Thought.
* When I bring a cloud over the earth the bow shall
be seen in the cloud.'
32 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
^l^e ^ott)cr an5 ii^c ©itp.
^iW/ Prelude, Picture : An immense party of work-
men thrown into sudden confusion.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
* Let us build a city and a tower.* A harmless ambi-
tion ; nay, not only harmless but good, for industry
is pleasing to God. But the motive made the action
entirely wrong. *A tower whose top may reach unto
Heaven ; ' a tower so high that destruction by another
flood would be impossible. Here is distrust of God's
promise, for He had said that the earth should never
again be destroyed by water. * Let us make us a name.'
Here is vainglory. The longing for their own glory
instead of the glory of God. Unbelief and pride are
the two things which bind men now to the low flat
plains, to the bricks and the slime of the world ; but
their care is in vain and their labour is naughty for
unbelief and pride produce nothing but confusion. The
plain may be flat, the bricks well burnt, the slime most
adhesive, but all is useless as long as men say, * Let us
build us a city, let us make us a name.'
Application.
Am I building anything ? And, if so, what am I
building ? Building a house, perhaps ; founding a
THE TOWER AND THE CITY, 33
family, making a fortune, building up a reputation?
Let us build us a, city, let us make us a name.
Have I said this to any of my family, even to myself?
If I have, if this is my aim, the end of my life can be
nothing but confusion. When I read the lives of those
who have lived only for their own fame, I read the
records of selfishness and ambition, of longings that
never seem satisfied, the building of a half-finished tower,
of a city full of noise and confusion. The servants of
God may leave no name behind them, but their names
are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. My work is
to try how many white stones I can add to the City of
God, the City set on a hill, the City which has a Tower
reaching up unto Heaven, namely, the Tower of Prayer.
Affection.
O Father, Almighty and Merciful ! May I never
seek to do anything for myself or my own glory, but
labour steadfastly for Thy glory : like Thy Blessed Son,
Who took upon Himself the form of a servant, and
counted His own honour as nothing !
Resolution.
To make an Act of Faith and an Act of Humility as
a remedy for my unbelief and pride.
Thought.
*Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and the King of
Glory shall come in.'
D
34 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
%\^^ ©ottfusiott of IJongucs.
First Prelude, Picture: A father and son made
unable, in one moment, to understand each other's
speech.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
Confusion is the child of presumption; order the
child of humility. With the tongue men sinned ; through
the tongue they were punished. They spoke of the
great things they were about to do, they spoke of the
great things they longed for ; they had no thought of
the glory of God, and God showed them how utterly
futile the plan for their own glory became. The world
is very much in the same position now. It is full of
talkers, writers, speakers, thinkers. It is full of plans for
the glory of Humanity. Is anything done simply for
the glory of God ? All else tends to confusion. Plans
are made, empires are built up, ministries are formed,
States are federated, cities are founded ; but the breath
of God goes forth — the plans fail, the empires fall, the
cities are left half built, the builders are scattered or
dead. And all because men prate of what they are going
to do, and have no time for silence, no time to listen to
the Eternal Word.
Application.
Am I fondest of talking or listening ? Of teaching
or learning? Of conversation or of prayer? These
THE CONFUSION OF TONGUES. 35
are very important questions, and the answers to them
may help me to a clearer view of my spiritual state. My
tongue is * an unruly member/ but at the same time it
is * the best member that I have/ Can I rule it ? Can
I keep silence when it is right to do so ? Can I speak
when I ought, however disagreeable it may be ? Let me
ask God to help me to govern it in an orderly manner,
neither letting it run riot, nor forbidding it to speak to
the glory of God. The world is full of unnecessary
words, full of confusion ; let me speak, or be silent,
gently, wisely, kindly, always in union with the Word
Incarnate.
Affection.
O dear Lord Jesus Christ ! Take entire posses-
sion of my faculty of speech, as well as of all my other
faculties. Let me speak with Thee upon the Cross,
or be silent with Thee before Pilate, according to Thy
holy wisdom, only save me from presumption and self-
wiU.
Resolution.
To practise keeping silence, say for . . . every day.
THOUGHTf
* The tongue can no man tame/
D 2
36 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
Jlbram's Jtlfatr.
First Prelude, Picture: A stone altar, a smoking
sacrifice thereon in a strange country.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
Abram the childless left his father and his own coun-
try to seek the inheritance that God had promised him,
and he was seventy-five years old when he did this. He
believed that he was to become a great nation, but the
way in which this was to be done was hidden from him.
He was led on by little and little, led on by God Himself;
everything depended upon his following that call when-
ever it came to him. Wherever he rested he built an
altar. In every strange country that he sojourned in, he
built an altar unto the Lord. He could not do without
worship, he could not do without sacrifice. In the plain
of Moreh he built an altar unto the Lord ; on the moun-
tain near Bethel he built an altar unto the Lord. The
people of the country may have wondered at him, per-
haps they tried to hinder him, perhaps they scoffed at
him ; he went on with his loving worship, and built an
altar unto the Lord. No excuses were his, about having
to move, hurried journeys, much business ) the Canaanite
might be in the land, he heeded not; he felt that he
must build an altar unto the Lord, and call upon the
Name of the Lord.
AB RAM'S ALTAR, 37
Application.
I am in a strange land, and I am, I humbly hope,
following the call of God. The Canaanite is in the land.
I am sometimes called to the plain of prosperity, some-
times to the mountain of myrrh, sometimes to the city,
sometimes to the solitude, sometimes to sorrow, some-
times to joy. And in all these changes and trials what is
my first thought — Ease, comfort, quiet, wealth, leisure?
Or the worship of God ? I am distracted in prayer when
in a strange place, I shorten my prayers when I have to
start early, I miss my prayers when I know I must soon
move, I am ashamed of my prayers when the Canaanite
is in the land — ^when irreligious people are in a crowded
room, a carriage, a ship. If I am following the voice of
God I must, like Abram, build an altar and offer sacri-
fice wherever I go, and let nothing keep me from the
Christian altar, the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of
Christ.
Affection.
O Almighty God ! I thank Thee that Thou hast
deigned to call me to follow Thee ; grant that wherever
I go my first thought may be * where is the Altar of my
God?'
Resolution.
To build an altar to the Lord wherever I go, or at
least to help others to do so.
Thought.
' I will go unto the Altar of God, unto God my ex
ceeding joy.*
38 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
Jlbram's ^eccif.
First Prelude, Picture: Abram receiving presents
on account of Sarah.
Second Prelude, — Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
Abram's troubles came upon him in the fertile land
of Egypt. There he found food, but he had nearly lost
what was far dearer to him than his riches. In spite of
his fearless worship, his self-surrender was not complete,
for he could not trust God to work out his deliverance.
A terrible fear came over him in that land of luxury, and
to avert his danger he did not actually tell a lie, but he
allowed others to think what was not true. This conduct
brought its own punishment, his wife was taken from
him ; and, unwilling to acknowledge his deceit, he had
to submit to receive presents from the king who had un-
knowingly done this evil thing. He became a great man
in Egypt, but his tent must have been full of misery and
desolation, and all this came upon him because he thought
he could find his own way out of a difficulty, instead of
taking counsel with the Lord, Who had never failed him.
Application.
Am I perfectly true in everything I do and say ? Do
I ever try to get out of a difficulty by concealing the
truth? Letting a half-truth be known? Telling a white
ABRAM'S DECEIT. 39
lie, as it is called, as if lies were not always black ? A
look may conceal a truth, a turn of a sentence, a smile.
May I always remember that the least departure from
truth is sure to lead to entanglements without end. How
careful I should be to avoid the least misunderstanding,
deceit, or exaggeration ! When a trouble comes upon
me, instead of trying to find a way out of it by human
ingenuity, do I take it to God and beg Him to help me ?
It is my want of faith which hinders me if I do not Can
I not trust God when He has taken such care of me all
my life ? Does He not know all the past and future of
my career? And will He not help me without my having
resort to unworthy subterfuges ? Let me try,
Affkction.
O God, Who art always ready to help those who trust
in Thee, grant that I may walk in the ways of truth, and
that I may never choose my own wisdom instead of
Thine, but may rely entirely upon Thee.
Resolution.
* To be on my guard against the suppression of truth,
as well as against the utterance of falsehood.
Thought.
* O Lord my God, in Thee do I put my trust.'
40 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
l;l)c ilctt) iScghming.
First Prelude, Picture : A great company journeying
towards an altar in the distance.
Second Prelude. Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
Abram is making a fresh start. He is going up out
of the land of Egypt. He went there to avoid a grievous
famine, but he found there something worse than a famine,
trials and temptations ; earthly riches, but spiritual desti-
tution. It is not said that he built an altar in Egypt,
and yet he could not have been satisfied with the religion
of that land. He goes up out of the land with flocks
and herds, very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.
Even thus the thousands of his descendants were to
leave Egypt hundreds of years after, very rich in cattle,
and laden with Egyptian silver and gold. Where is
Abram journeying with that great company? To the
place where his tent had been at the beginning — between
Bethel and Hai. And what was his attraction ? The
place of the Altar which he had made there at the first.
He is going to the place where he worshipped God
before he distrusted Him and took things into his own
hands. Much has happened since that happy time when
he offered sacrifice with an innocent heart ; but now the
Friend of God is going back to the Altar of God, to call
upon the Name of the Lord; to learn to distrust himself
and to trust in God.
THE NEW BEGINNING. ^\
Application.
I am often disgusted with myself and with what I
have done. But I do not know how to amend it And I
am often tempted to stay where I am, out of very shame,
sometimes out of laziness. Up, out of the land of
Egypt 1 Up, out of the ways of the world ! There
should be no tarrying in the path of deceit, in the ways
of luxury and irreligion ! And when I know I am wrong,
when I feel I have made a mistake, that I am no longer
what I was, that I have chosen my own path instead of
waiting for God to choose it for me, instead of remaining
in Egypt or wandering forth into unknown lands, let me
fly back to the place where my tent was in the beginning,
let me go to the place of the Altar. And though I have
suffered severely, I may come back the richer, bringing
with me cattle for sacrifice, good works for burnt offer-
ings, the gold of love tried seven times in the fire, the
silver of wisdom refined until the face of the Refiner is
seen in it.
Affection.
O Lord ! I thank Thee that Thou art so graciously
calling sinners to repentance ! Grant that I may always
listen to Thy call, and never by neglecting it run the risk
of turning repentance into * remorse.'
Resolution.
To begin my new life by returning to the Altar of
God.
Thought.
* I will wash my hands in innocency, and so will I go
to Thine Altar.'
43 MEDITATIONS ON GEhESlS.
^calt^ att6 g^frtfc
First Prelude, Picture: The herdmen quarrelling.
Second Prelude. Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
In the days of adversity Abram and Lot had dwelt
N cry peaceably together. Now they are both rich, and
their riches cause separation. The Canaanite and the
Perizzite are dwelling in the land ; and yet friends,
brothers, countrymen, must needs quarrel before them.
Their substance was great, so that they could not dwell
together. The old free, happy days of intimacy had
departed ; each had his great retinue, each had his great
l)ossessions. Neither Abram nor Lot could obey the
dictates of his heart, they must needs be domineered
over by the disputes of their shepherds. And thus it
has been ever since : when the Church grows rich the
herdmen quarrel, and the herdmen are not ashamed to
quarrel even before the Canaanite and the Perizzite who
dwell in the land. * Better is a dinner of herbs where
love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.'
Application.
What are my feelings about earthly riches ? Do I
seek for them, or do I fly from them ? Do I long for them,
little considering the burden, the care, the trouble, the
disputes, the divisions which they cause ? And yet in
WEAL TH AND STRIFE. 43
themselves they are good things, and are often sent as
blessings from the Lord. But the corruption of the
human heart turns God's blessings oftentimes into
curses, and when the flocks increase the herdmen
quarrel. ^Vhen I am poor and no course is open to
me but one — that of a regular and laborious life, Abram
and Lot are at peace in my heart ; there is no disputing,
for there is nothing to dispute about. But when the
flocks, and the herds, and the servants increase, when
riches increase, and they are increased that eat them,
then strife is aroused and my soul is full of conflict.
Then let me be careful in the day of prosperity : the
day of adversity brings its own discipline, but the day
of prosperity is full of temptations.
Affection.
O my God ! If Thou shouldest give me earthly
riches, give me also the true riches of heavenly wisdom
and love : and if Thou shouldest send me the trial of
poverty, give me grace to thank Thee for the absence of
strife.
Resolution.
To seek for poverty of spirit in the day of my riches ;
riches of grace in the day of my poverty.
Thought.
'There is a gain that turneth to loss.'
44 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
J^of 5 @]^oicc.
First Prelude, Picture: Abram and Lot standing
on the hill.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.
CON?IDERATION.
Abram offers Lot his choice. The elder gives way
to the younger, the uncle to the nephew, the. superior to
the inferior. Lot chose the well-watered plain of the
Jordan. He chose the best He chose at once, as
young people are apt to do, that which looked the
fairest. And what came of it ? Firstly, separation ;
secondly, vexation ; thirdly, a bare escape with his life.
An easy-going, worldly life leads to great trouble. A
righteous man may fall into slackness of living simply by
dwelling with those who fear not God. At any rate, he
endures the misery of seeing God despised. Lot, when
he chose all the plain of Jordan, probably little thought
that he would be a dweller in Sodom. He pitched his
tent towards Sodom, but did not intend then to be an
inhabitant of the city of iniquity. Though the plain be
fertile and well-watered, the neighbourhood of sinners is
injurious. It looks like the garden of the Lord, but in
reality it is the garden of the devil.
Application.
What is my first impulse when I am asked to make
a choice? Is it not to choose what looks fairest,
LOT'S CHOICE, 45
brightest, richest — that which seems easiest to do and
sweetest to enjoy ? The very fairness is deceptive ; the
veiy sweetness is fiill of bitterness. I must not forget
that I live in a ruined world, where everything must be
tested by its fairness in God's sight But how am I to
know what to choose ? By the aid of the Holy Spirit,
as a baptized Christian I have a right, a positive rights
to call upon Him for His help and counsel In general
it is safest to choose a hard way — a mountain path, a
hill-country ; but when I am in doubt I must spread my
doubt before the Lord. It is not said that I^t asked
counsel of Jehovah. Had that righteous man done so,
he would perhaps have avoided great sorrows.
Affection.
Grant, Blessed Lord, that I may never regard my
own ease and comfort, but may only seek to fulfil' Thy
holy will ! Give me grace to resist the false attractions
of earthly riches and luxury, and to choose the desert
with Thee rather than the plain of Jordan with the
ungodly !
Resolution.
To make no choice without asking guidance from the
Spirit of counsel.
Thought.
* I will guide thee with Mine eye.'
46 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
Jlbram'0 portion.
First Prelude, Picture : Abram alone, looking over
the whole land.
Second Prelude. Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
When Lot left Abram, God came to him. Men
leave us, God comes instead. Abram took what was
left. It was the worst portion to human eyes, but in
reality it was the best, for it was the whole. But it was
to be signed with the sign of the Cross. Abram was
to look northward and southward, then eastward and
westward. He was then to arise and walk through the
land, in the length of it and in the breadth of it, thus
signing it with the sign of the Cross. The sign of Him
Who was to walk through it afterwards. It was thus to
be consecrated, and set apart, and taken possession of.
He received this glorious promise after his act of re-
nunciation, after he had preferred Lot to himself ; and
after he had received the promise, his heart overflowed
with thankfulness, and the first thing he did was to build
an altar unto the Lord in Hebron. He did not look
onwards to the nations which were to proceed from him.
He felt no pride in the destiny which was mapped out
before him; but he looked back to the Lord Jehovah
Who had given him the promise, and gloried in building
an altar for His worship.
AB RAM'S PORTIOy. 47
Application.
Does God come to me when I give up, or when I
maintain a stout hold of what I consider my rights ? Do
1 not find that when I give up all human consolation,
God is very near to me ? Has He not often given me
sevenfold for my slight self-denials? Why, then, should
1 be so anxious to take care of myself when He can take
care of me so much better ? He will give me a portion,
an inheritance, it may be an earthly portion marked with
the sign of the Cross, or a spiritual inheritance, something
too glorious for me even to appreciate now in the present
state of my spiritual perceptions. Let me trust Him,
and when He draws nigh to me and cheers me with His
consolations, and rejoices me with His promises, let me
not take delight only in His consolations, only in His
promises, but in Himself; and then my greatest privilege
and consolation will be not to aggrandise myself, or those
I love, but to honour Him in His service and to build
an altar for His glory.
Affection.
O Holy Lord God, Who giveth us our portion and
the lot of our inheritance, give me grace to lay aside all
selfishness and to trust in Thee to provide for all my
wants. Let me choose Thee for my portion, and may
Thy worship be my delight I may look northward and
southward, and eastward and westward, but I shall see
nothing so fair as Thy love 1
Resolution.
To avoid all disputes concerning temporal goods,
choosing less rather than more.
Thought.
* He looked for a city which hath foundations.'
48 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
^l^e ^aiile ti>if]^ i^e <^ings.
First Prelude. -ftV/wr^.- Abram's sword.
Second Prelude. Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
The place of riches is the place of danger. Sodom
brings no peace to Lot The kings of the cities of the
plain are attacked by the king to whom they owe tribute,
and are conquered by him and his allies. Lot is in-
volved in their quarrels. His riches excite the avarice
of the four kings ; they carry him off, with all that be-
longs to him. Then the Friend of God behaves as God
does when man is in trouble. He does not sit down and
say, *Lot brought this trouble upon himself; he chose
his companions, let him abide by the consequences of
his choice.' No \ he takes three hundred and eighteen
of his picked men, and goes by night against that great
army, and delivers his nephew with all that belonged to
him. Abram is a man of peace, but he can draw his
sword for his friend. When the worshipper of the true
God is alone amongst the heathen, the Friend of God
chooses his picked men — for nearly all great things have
been done by small numbers — and no danger deters him,
no army can frighten him, for he knows God is with
him, and his brother must be saved.
Application.
I have a sword. It is the sword of the Spirit. Do
I use it to deliver my brother ? Many have gone astray,
THE BATTLE WITH THE KINGS, 49
and stood in the way of sinners, and sat in the seat of
the scornful Do I say, *Let them alone, they have
chosen their path, they are taken captive by sin, it is a
fitting rewatd for their carelessness'? When I know
their danger, nothing can absolve me from the respon-
sibility of their fate. I must do all I can for their de-
liverance. Many are against me, but God is with me.
I must take my picked men, tried and trusty friends,
who feel and know how dreadful sin is ; and I must go
against the army of vice and rescue my brother. The
night of adversity is often the best time to deliver him.
I have failed in doing this ; I have been occupied
with my own affairs only \ I have not followed the
example of Abram in rescuing my brother from the
very camp of the enemy : I have not followed the
example of my Saviour in condescending to men of
low estate.
Affection.
O Lord Jesus Christ ! Who died for our sins,
grant that, mindful of all Thou hast done for me, I may
be ready to go anywhere, and to do anything, for the
rescue of a brother or sister made captive by sin !
Resolution.
To do all I can against the four kings of the age —
Intemperance, Immorality, Love of money, Lawlessness
— and so heartily to strive for the rescue of . . .
Thought.
* He which converteth a sinner from the error of his
way, shall save a soul from death.'
E
50 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
'3HcIc]^t3c6cfe's iSIcssing.
First Prelude. Picture : The Paten, the Chalice.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
The King of Sodom comes out to meet Abram and
offers him riches. The Kmg of Salem comes out to
meet Abram and offers him a blessing. Abram refuses
to take the riches of Sodom ; and instead of taking, he
gives tithes to Melchizedek. He turns from Sodom
and looks to Salem, and Salem brings him the kiss of
peace. The King of Salem was the Priest of God ; he
was greater than the patriarch Abram, for the less is
blessed of the greater. Abram, by the rescue of his
nephew, won the approval of the head of his race and
the Priest of the Most High, and what was his reward ?
Bread, wine, and a blessing. A worthless one in the
sight of the world, worthless in comparison of the offered
spoil; but how great and precious in the eyes of
Abram, what a pledge to him of the loving-kindness
of God !
Application.
When I rescue my brother from his enemies, — sin,
worldliness, sorrow, suffering of any kind, — what reward
do I seek ? Do I expect the King of Sodom to come
out to meet me with his riches, or do I look for the
King of Salem with his blessing? The riches of the
King of Sodom may be praise, a good name, influence,
MELCHIZEDEK'S BLESSING, '51
material prosperity. Am I fond of these, and do I seek
to gain them ? If so, I shall infallibly fall back to the
world and its influences. Do I wait for the King of
Salem, the true Melchizedek? His reward may seem
nothing to the world, but it ought to be everything to
me, for it is Himself — His Body and Blood. And when
He comes to meet me, in the early morning, at His
altar, is He not my great reward, and far above all the
riches of the world? His blessing is then the most
glorious song of praise which could greet a victor's ear.
His approval, though whispered, so low that not another
soul can hear it, the most entrancing message that a
Christian heart can know. Have I thought of this?
Do I act upon it ? Is the voice of the King of Salem
dearer to me than all the praises of all the Cities of the
Plain, and all the riches of the King of Sodom ? If not,
why not ?
Affection.
O Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, of
Whom Melchizedek was but a figure, grant that I may
learn to separate the true from the false, and to choose
Thy Blessing above all the attractions of the world. If,
by Thy grace, I do a right thing, let me thank Thee at
Thine altar, and give Thee tithes of all.
Resolution.
After every battle with sin, to meet the Priest of the
Most High God when he brings forth bread and wine.
Thought.
* I will receive the cup of salvation and call upon the
name of the Lord.'
E 2
52 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
^]^c %<xxi\^ of Jlbtam.
First Prelude, Picture: The sky studded with stars.
Second Prelude. Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
Abram refused the riches of the King of Sodom, and
the word of the Lord came to him. He turned away
from earth, and he was shown Heaven. He refused the
reward of the earthly monarch, and the Lord God said
unto him, *I am thy exceeding great reward.' God
offered hina a reward The Septuagint translation has
this : * Thy reward shall be exceeding great' Abram
asked for his reward by reminding the Lord that he was
childless. He asked for one son, and God brought him
forth under the stars, and told him that he should have
thousands and tens of thousands. He asked for Isaac,
and he was given Jesus. And all he was told to do was
to believe. This is the way in which our Heavenly
Father treats His faithful children. He gives them more
than either they desire or deserve. And He only requires
Faith from them. Faith to believe in His wonderful
and incomprehensible blessings. They can make Him
no return ; they ask Him for little, and He gives them
much ; they ask Him for one gift, and He gives them
sevenfold.
Application.
Abram received this promise after he had turned
from the gifts of the King of Sodom. I cannot expect
to enjoy the promises of God and the promises of the
THE FAITH OF ABRAM, S3
world as well. I cannot serve God and Mammon. If
I turn from the vanities and vices of the world, the
glories of the Kingdom of God open before me. God
brought Abram out in the still night under the stars.
Do I ever give Him time to bring me out in the still
nighty and show me the stars and make me His glorious
promises? There are numberless blessings for me also,
if I only listen to His voice and keep my heart dis-
engaged for Him, and Him only. Leisure to listen to
His promises, and Faith to believe them : this is what
God requires.
How wonderful that the King and Maker of all
should only require faith in His servants, and that He
should find it so seldom ; and how wonderful that He
should count this faith as a thing worthy of reward !
The faith that Abram had was not a mere sentimental
feeling, a thing depending on spirits, health, or weather,
but it was a sustaining Faith, a Faith which made him do
great deeds and bear great trials.
Affection.
O Glorious Father, King of the Universe, give me
this great gift of Faith, this sustaining, strengthening
Faith, which may enable me to bear all the troubles of
life with calm and even joyful trust in Thee, knowing
that Thy promises are true for evermore, and that no-
thing can destroy the glorious heritage of those who are
spiritually the children of Abraham, through Jesus
Christ Our Lord.
Resolution.
To remember that I, as a Christian, am a living token
of the fulfilment of God's promise to Abraham.
Thought.
' He went out, not knowing whither he went.'
54 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
^l^c §o»cnattf xoxl^ Jlbram.
First Prelude, Picture : Abram alone, driving away
the vultures ; the sun going down.
Second Prelude. Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
This country, full of wickedness, riches, luxury, ruled
by powerful kings, full of wariike nations, was promised
to Abram. The fulfilment of the promise seemed im-
possible. No wonder he asked for a sign. The sign
was asked for the confirmation of his faith ; but the sign
itself brought him suffering and terror, though the cove-
nant it set forth was a glorious one. His faith had been
tried, and now the trial came to his patience and his
courage. He was to offer of his best — an offering from
every kind of animal under his care, three from the
earth, two from the air. The three were to be three
years old, in the prime of their strength, of the best
of the herds and the flocks. Five is the number of
sacrifice, and symbolises the five wounds, the five crosses
marked on an altar stone. The covenant was made by
dividing the animals, and each party concerned passing
between them. The heifer, the ram, and the goat were
divided, for they represent the things of earth, and must
be severed ; but the birds were not divided, for they
represent the things of Heaven, and soar upwards in the
form of the Cross. And when Abram had oflfered all
these to God, the birds of prey came down to devour
THE COVENANT WITH A BR AM. 55
Ihem. And God came not, but the sun set, and dark-
ness and horror came over Abram. Then, when the
darkness and horror were at their worst, the voice of the
Lord was heard, and the Hght of His Presence passed
between the pieces of the sacrifices, and, for his five
animals, Abram received ten nations.
Application.
I have received great promises from the Blessed and
Holy Trinity, Who has made a covenant with me through
Jesus Christ my Lord. But do I think of these
promises, and am I prepared to realise my covenant as
Abram realised his ? I must be alone. No one can do
it for me, I must give to God of my best — labour,
patience, endurance, loving thoughts, a heart mounting
far on high. I must endure severance, sacrifice, and,
above all, I must wait God's time. Instead of entering
into the possession of the land, I may have to give my
best, and then see it in danger from the devil, and
wicked men, the vultures, and birds of prey j and the
darkness of sorrow may come around, and I may cry,
* My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me ? ' But
the horror and the darkness will cease some day, and I
shall see the light of the Presence passing through the
pieces of the sacrifice, and I shall receive double for all
my sorrows, and the Promised Land will be mine for
ever.
Affection.
O great and glorious God ! I adore Thy Majesty
and Thine awful Presence ! I pray Thee to grant me
courage and patience, that when I am tried I may not
fail, but watch steadfastly, and rest peacefully, certain
that Thou wilt come at last through the darkness.
56 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
Resolution.
To shrink from no trial that will bring me nearer to
God.
Thought.
* Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil.'
gmpcificttcc for blessings.
First Prelude, Picture: Sarai bringing Hagar to
Abram.
Second Prelude. Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
Another long time of waiting after the promise of
offspring had been again made to Abram. Sarai grew
tired of waiting, and, despairing of the fulfilment of the
promise, tried to get it fulfilled in a way of her own.
Abram connived at her proceeding, and thereby showed
a slight faltering in his own faith. He thus prepared
the way for divisions and rivalry in his own family, and
brought in the evil custom of more than one wife, a
custom which has been the curse of the descendants of
Ishmael. Ten years more was a long time to wait with
IMPATIENCE FOR BLESSINGS. S7
no apparent result ; but if they had waited patiently,
trusting in God, Who had brought so many wonderful
things to pass, who knows what quarrels, complications,
and misery might not have been avoided ? A blessing
snatched from God's hand before His own good time
becomes no more a blessing, but a curse.
Application,
Have I not often sinned by trying to hurry God's
plans for me ? Have I not forgotten that even our Lord
says of His own plans, * My time is not yet come.' I
want everything at once ; I try to hurry events ; I try to
hurry the work in my own soul, I try to hurry the work
in the souls of others. Because I am not greedy or
impatient for worldly riches and honours I think I have
a right to be impatient in spiritual things. God does
not work fast enough to please me; I must then take
the matter into my own hands, and, in doing this, what
sad mistakes I make ! How I bungle and confuse my
own affairs and those of others; how roughly I treat
souls ; how despairing I grow about my own faults !
May I learn patience with God, patience with others
patience with myself. The word must be spoken in
season, the deed must be done at the right time ; in
worldly things the man waits for the Aour, in spiritual
things the man is too prone to anticipate God's hour or
to neglect it altogether.
Affection.
O Father Almighty 1 I know that Thy promises
are sure to be fulfilled 1 Grant that I may not be im-
patient when the fulfilment is delayed. Give me patience
and faith that I may not try to seize Thy blessings before
58 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
the time, but may thank Thee for the discipline of waiting,
for the longer the waiting the greater the blessing.
Resolution.
To bear hindrances and delays cheerfully.
Thought.
'Wait patiently for Him.'
l[^c foDcnanf wif^ Jlbram.
First Prelude, Picture: Abram on his face before
God.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.^
Consideration.
Another period of waiting. Thirteen years after the
birth of Ishmael. Then God appears to Abram and
tells him to be perfect, and changes his name. Were
these protracted times of waiting the discipline that was
to perfect his soul ? It may have been so, and yet another
trial awaits him ; the rite of circumcision is to set him
and his house apart, in special covenant with God. * Be
ye perfect,' is the admonition. Pain follows the admoni-
tion, and after this the promise is to be fulfilled. Thus,
step by step, Abram is led on, and all through his long
probation, each step brings him nearer to God. Why
THE COVENANT WITH ABRAM, 59
was Isaac so long in coming ? Why was his birth prefaced
by so many trials and so much waiting ? Was it not to
set forth the coming of the spiritual Isaac, the Lord
Jesus, after the many trials and the much waiting of the
human race ?
Application.
God tells Abram to be perfect, and gives him circum-
cision. God tells us to be perfect — * Be ye therefore
perfect, even as your Father in Heaven is perfect' — and
gives us Baptism. Baptism is not painful, but the re-
nunciation which belongs to baptism is painful. The
cutting off of all that ministers to unbelief, self-indulgence,
and vanity, must follow God's call to perfectioii. Abram's
new name was given him when the painful rite of circum-
cision was ordered; my Christian name was given me
when renunciation of the world, the flesh, and the devil
was promised for me. The Promised Land, the vision
of God, was then held out to me as my glorious portion,
and I may, if I choose, have a spiritual offspring, by
teaching the innocent and saving the lost Having this
covenant, having these promises, am I living a different
life to the life I should be living without them ? Am I a
self-denying Christian, or am I a Christian undistinguish-
able from a polished, humane pagan ?
Affection.
Almighty Father! I thank Thee for having brought
me into covenant with Thee ! I pray Thee to make me
duly sensible of nTy high and holy destiny ! I honour
Thee as my Sovereign Lord and King, and, like Abram,
I fall on my face before Thee, for I have no strength
except in Thy strength.
6o MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
Resolution.
To cut off such an indulgence — ivhich I know to be
contrary to the will of my God.
Thought.
* And so after he had patiently endured, he obtained
the promise.*
Jlbral^am's ^os^jifalifp.
First Prelude, Picture: Abraham washing the feet
of the messengers.
Second Prelude. Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
Abraham resting in the heat of the day — tlie heat of
the plains of Mamre. An interruption comes. Visitors,
disturbing his r6pose, rouse him to exertion. He knows
not their divine mission, their divine character, yet he
turns not away his eyes. Directly he saw them he ran
to meet them, he entreated them to come and rest He
does not turn them over to the care of others, he looks
after them himself. In spite of the heat he hastens to the
tent, he runs to the herd, he gives minute directions to
Sarah about the bread, and when all is done he stands
by them under the tree and watches them eat. And who
were the Heavenly visitors ? Three angels ? or a mani-
festation of the Holy Trinity ? or an appearance of the
ABRAHAM'S HOSPITALITY. 6i
Second Person attended by two angels? The most
ancient writers consider that this last is the probable
explanation, and if so what a mysterious meal, what a
foreshadowing of future things, man washing the feet of
his Redeemer, little knowing that one day his Redeemer
would wash the feet of twelve men ! And then, as usual
after every great event, comes the promise repeated and
particularised.
Application.
Here is a work of mercy done for its own sake in all
simplicity, and followed by an immense blessing. How
many blessings I may have lost by inattention to the
wants of others ? How often have I missed the oppor-
tunity of doing a kindness, and thus failed to welcome
the Lord Jesus ? Am I not unwilling to give up my
repose, difficult to rouse when weary, averse to trouble,
thoughtless of the comfort, the repose, the refreshment
of others ? Let me remember the free-hearted hospitality
of Abraham, his entreaties to his guests, his alacrity in
serving them, his liberality — both as to quantity and qua-
lity — ^the abundance of the flour, the goodness of the
meat, the minute direction, the personal attendance.
Let me not think anything of my own trouble, whether
in the heat of the day, or the depth of the night, but
see the Lord Jesus in my guests, and remember the
blessing a work of mercy brings upon the house whence
it proceeds.
Affection.
O God ! give me grace to open my heart to all who
are in need of rest or refreshment, and to look upon all
comers as sent by Thee, carrying a message from Thee,
bearing blessings from Thee, and, perchance, bringing
me nearer to Thee.
62 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
Resolution.
Ta grudge no personal trouble in the duties of
hospitality.
Thought.
* Some have entertained angels unawares.'
Jlbral^am's ^nfcrccssion.
First Prelude. Picture : Abraham pra)dng with hands
extended.
Second Prelude, Prayer, as before.
Consideration.
Two of the men who had been entertained by Abraham
went on to Sodom ; the third, who is called the Lord,
stayed behind. He had a revelation to make to Abraham
— a tale of wickedness, a sentence of judgment to tell
him. The wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah, the
judgment of God. And what was Abraham's feeling on
hearing this ? Was it, * It serves them right ; I knew
things could not long go on so ? ' No, it was that of
intense anxiety — for fear one righteous man should perish
with the wicked. And then began Abraham's beautiful
intercessory prayer ; waiting for the answer to each peti-
tion, particularising the number he was praying for, con-
tinuing patiently, perseveringly, until the city was to be
ABRAHAM'S INTERCESSION', 63
saved for ten. Wonderful spectacle 1 Man interceding
with Gk)D for his fellow man ; foreshadowing the great
intercession — that of the God-man for His people ! Who
knows, if Abraham had gone on with his prayer, whether
the city might not have been saved for one^ even for Lot ;
and the wicked Moabites and Ammonites might never
have been bom ?
Application.
How much time, how much thought, do I spend in
intercessory prayer? Much or little? Very little ; and
yet there is no way by which I can help my friends so
much. By intercessory prayer I can avert judgments,
convert sinners, tend the sick and send comfort to the
sorrowful. But ray prayer must be definite and earnest,
particular as well as general ; and I must watch for the
answer, and take an interest in it. Many are the prayers
I send, scarcely knowing what I pray for. May I feel
the intense anxiety which Abraham felt when praying for
the wicked cities. I know not how many blessings my
friends have lost through my carelessness \ I know not
how many good works have languished through my want
of faith and prayerfulness ! Many are the things which
trouble and distress me both in Church and State. Had
I prayed more, I might have averted some of them. If
Abraham had gone on praying, Sodom might have been
converted. I am the Friend of God by covenant with
Jesus Christ ; if I had prayed more earnestly, my own
parish, my own city, might have turned thoroughly to
Him.
Affection.
O God, have mercy upon me, and give me a loving
heart and the power of prayer. May I realise more and
more the wonderful gift which Thou hast given me — the
64 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
command to pray for my fellow-creatures, and the cer-
tainty that intercessory prayer is acceptable to Thee !
Resolution.
To spend at least five minutes . . . one quarter of
an hour . . . daily in intercessory prayer.
Thought.
* Pray for one another.'
S^oVq ;g5atrtting.
First Prelude, Picture: Lot sitting in the Gate of
Sodom in the evening, the two angels standing before
him.
Second Prelude. Prayer: O God, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my understanding, and to strengthen my
will, that I may meditate upon this history with a solemn
mind and penitent heart.
Consideration.
Three angels came to Abraham, two to Lot. The
angel called * the Lord ' had departed after His colloquy
with Abraham. The other two sought out the sojourners
in the wicked city. From the conduct of Lot with re-
gard to his daughters, it is easy to see that his stay in
Sodom had blunted his moral susceptibilities, for we
LOTS WARNING, e-;
must not do evil that good may come, nor must we
choose a lesser evil to avoid a greater. The virtue of
hospitality had remained in Lot in spite of the luxury
and selfishness of the place. And in spite of the dangers
which appeared to threaten them, those pure and holy
angels remained all night in Sodom. But how corrupt
is the human heart ! Notwithstanding the awful ex-
ample of depravity he had witnessed, Lot is seized with
sorrow at having to leave the city. The angels have to
use force to vasiko, him quit it, and also to take his wife
and daughters by the hand, whilst his son-in-law refused
to go. Out of the whole city, six persons were warned.
Of these, two refused to go, one looked back, and only
half this small number was saved. And when Lot was
told of the impending destruction, he felt no sorrow.
He did not pray for the city where he had lived so long,
but selfishness had taken possession of his heart, and
he exclaims, '/cannot escape to the mountain lest some
evil overtake me and /die ! '
Application.
Am I fiiUy aware of the importance of the atmosphere
in which I live? Am I particular about the books I
read, the friends I make, the people I associate with ?
Am I careful enough about the companionship of my
own thoughts ? It is most important to keep up a high
tone of feeling with regard to conversation, manners,
employment, and associates. By lowering my standard,
I blunt my moral sense, I give way to sloth, I become
hard and selfish. I may dwell in the cities of the plain,
as surely as Lot did, by giving way to enervating habits
— habits which unfit me for prayer, study, and work.
Late rising, lounging about, excessive novel reading, love
of ease and self-indulgence, these are a few of the things
F
66 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
which unhinge the spiritual life. When I find anything
of the kind gaining a mastery over me, I must escape to
the mountain ; the bracing air of self-denial, discipline,
retreat, is the only thing to save me.
Affection.
O my God, Thou hast sent two angels to awaken me
from my night of self-indulgence — Thy holy Voice and
the voice of my conscience. I mourn for the slackness
and self-indulgence of my life. I entreat Thee to help
me to overcome it, and to save me from my own irresolu-
tion. And in order to overcome my bad habits, I hereby
make this promise to Thee, that I will ....
Resolution.
Give up such a bad habit. ... Or begin such a
good one. And in order to bear this resolution in my
heart, I will remind myself of it with this sentence : —
Thought.
* Escape to the mountain.'
^oohxxi^ ^acfe.
First Prelude. Picture: Lot's wife turning to gaze
upon Sodom.
Second Prelude. Prayer: O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my understanding and to move my will,
•that I may gain the fruit of this meditation, and obtain
a holy horror of indecision.
LOOKING BACK, 67
Consideration,
Reluctant as Lot was to leave the scenes of vice, still
more reluctant was his wife. He went on slowly enough,
she stayed behind him. When the angels left them, she
sank back into the listlessness and sloth of one who has
lost the power of being shocked by sin. She lingered ;
here was the first beginning of her fall. She then turned,
turned round to gaze upon evil ; turned to mourn over
the beautiful city — not with the mourning of Abraham,
not with the plaint of intercession, but with the regret
that she could no longer partake of its pleasures, no
longer enjoy its ease, no longer mix in its society. And
then the judgment came. She partook of the doom of
Sodom ; struck down probably by the brimstone and fire,
killed by the sulphurous fumes, she was covered with salt
and left there without burial — a warning and a byword
to the undecided and the lover of evil company. Oh,
what a fearful judgment ! Marked out for safety, warned
by angels, removed by force, preceded by her husband,
and yet lost ; preferring death with the ungodly to loneli-
ness with God.
Application.
Perseverance is the gift of CtOD. I must not be con-
tent with feeling that I am in the right path, I must pray
that I may continue in it. Looking back is the source of
all falling back. When we have been called from the city
of ease and pleasure, we must press on steadily to the
mountain, whether it be the mountain of spiritual joy, the
mountain of transfiguration, or the mountain of pain and
suffering — the Mountain of Calvary. I am not decided
enough. I am apt to linger. I do not make a good use
of my time. If I linger, I may turn round and view those
things from which I have fled. If God were to with-
F 2
68 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
draw His grace, I should soon go back to them. And if
it be wrong to look back upon past sinful pleasures, it is
also wrong to look back upon past projects — ^things which
God did not allow us to carry out, past schemes, it may
be even good schemes j past failures, which may discour-
age us in the present time ; past follies, which we have
repented of long ago. When sins have been repented
and confessed, it is a bad habit to go over them again
and again. I must resolutely face eastward, and keep
the narrow mountain- path. Past pleasiures, past schemes,
past failures, past follies, are all nothing to me now. If
I have not begun already to fly from them, I can begin
to-day. What hinders me !
Affection.
O my God, I thank Thee, from the bottom of my
heart, for calling me from my self-indulgent and worldly
life. I pray Thee to make me hasten more and more
from every scene of temptation, every evil companion.
Give me the gift of perseverance, and fill my heart full of
joy and thankfulness for Thy great goodness in saving
me thus far. I will by Thy help refrain from all sad
broodings over the evil of past years, and will strive to
keep this resolution.
Resolution.
To dismiss from my mind such a matter, once de-
cided ; and to remember the words of the Apostle : —
Thought.
* Forgetting those things which are behind, and reach-
ing forth unto those things which are before.'
THE DREAM OF ABIMELECH, 69
%\)^ ^x^am of Jlbimekc]^.
First Prelude, Picture: Abimelech restoring Sarah
to Abraham.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O God ! I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to rouse my will, that I may
meditate with profit upon this history, and may learn to
listen for Thy voice and to obey it when heard.
Consideration.
Twenty-three years after Sarah had been taken by
Pharaoh, King of Egypt, twenty-three years after Abra-
ham had sought by a subterfuge to save his own life, the
same things happen again. Sarah is taken by Abime-
lech, the King of the Philistines; Abraham has had
recourse to the same subterfuge. What a lesson to
many Christians is the conduct of this heathen king.
Righteous and just, he has no intention of wronging
Abraham ; full of love for his people his exclamation is,
* Lord, wilt Thou slay also a righteous nation ? * God
knew his integrity, and, therefore, came to him in a dream
to save him. Abimelech hesitates not for a moment ;
the feelings in his mind are anxiety to prove his own
rectitude of intention, solicitude for his people, indigna-
tion at the deception which had been practised upon
him. He was angry at having been so madly led into
sin, not, as so many are, glad of the excuse to commit
sin when the blame can be laid upon others. No sooner
is the truth revealed to him than he hastens to repair the
wrong.
70 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
Application.
If I do not sin openly, I am often tempted to take
advantage of other people's sins. A little want of recti-
tude on the part of another will sometimes give me the
opportunity. Self-indulgence may be made easy by the
fraud of another. A mean advantage may be taken of
the faults of my fellow-creatures. In the common affairs
of the day, I may often save myself or enjoy myself at
the expense of another. When I am alone in the silence
of the night do I never hear God speaking to me, and
telling me that things are not as I suppose them to be,
and setting before me the necessity of a nobler, juster
line of conduct? And what has been my answer?
Have I tried to persuade myself that it was a delusion,
a dream of the night; or have I, like Abimelech,
hastened to repair the wrong and to alter my conduct ?
The Philistine King was not satisfied with restoring
Sarah, he gave Abraham a thousand pieces of silver,
besides sheep and oxen and servants. Justice was
followed by generosity. And I, a Christian, a baptized
soldier and servant of Jesus, how do I treat my fellow-
Christians ; with meanness, sharpness, and narrowness,
or with the open hand of Christian love ?
Affection.
O my God, I thank Thee for showing me the evil
and the meanness of my own heart. I implore Thee to
give me Abimelech's justice and generosity : I entreat
Thee to make my ears sensitive to Thy word, to make
my heart a listening heart, that it may be attentive to
Thy warnings. I deplore that I have allowed the noise
of the world and its evil customs to deceive me, and I
THE PROMISE FULFILLED. ' yi
pray Thee to visit me in the silence of the night, and to
tell me wherein I have sinned.
I do from my heart resolve : —
Resolution.
To listen to God's voice and to obey it at once,
especially in such a matter. ...
And to remember this true word of praise : —
Thought.
' I will thank the Lord for giving me warning.*
Ifl^c promise "^ul^lUb.
First Prelude, Picture: The aged Abraham con-
templating the infant Isaac.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, I pray Thee to
enlighten my understanding and to excite my will, that I
may meditate profitably upon Thy faithfulness, and draw
therefrom jfresh hope and trust.
Consideration.
The waiting was long, but the promise was fulfilled
at last. The child so long expected was born. What
joy for Abraham ! What happiness for Sarah ! The
child was called Isaac, which means Laughter. The joy
of the parents produces laughter, and the name fore-
shadows the joy which the birth of the true Isaac, the
descendant of the son of Abraham, the joy of the whole
earth, was to bring to all who would receive Him. How
common the expression, * He laughed for joy.' It is often
applied to the things of this world, but few feel such
72 MEDITATIONS O.V GE.VES/S.
delight in the things of the spiritual life. And yet any
great spiritual blessing should bring such brightness,
such joy, that this joy might be akin to laughter. We
feel worldly joys with intense, almost extraordinary
delight, but we take our spiritual joys very calmly and
coldly. How bright and beautiful God's gifts are !
How deeply they should move us.
Application.
God has promised me wonderful things. I have
sometimes had to wait long for His blessings, but He
has always been true to His Word. He has promised
me still more wonderful things. *Eye hath not seen
nor ear heard what God hath prepared for them
that love Him.' When I think of these words do
I laugh in unbelief, or do I laugh for joy? With
regard to the past, Isaac is indeed * Laughter * to me,
for was he not the ancestor of the true Isaac, my
Lord and Saviour? And with regard to the present,
Isaac is indeed 'laughter' to me, for do not all my
spiritual joys come from the blessed Companionship of
the Love of Jesus, his descendant after the flesh ? And
with regard to the future, Isaac will, indeed, always be
* Laughter ' to me, for I shall live for ever in the smile of
the Lord Jesus. So I have every reason to cultivate
the spirit of holy joy and to rejoice in the Lord. How
wrong ever to have indulged in murmurings, distrust,
gloom, and impatience ? I am ashamed of my morose-
ness, my want of joy, for I, too, am a descendant of the
true Isaac, I am a child of ' Laughter,'
Affection.
O my Lord Jesus 1 I thank Thee, I praise Thee
for the true joy Thou hast brought into the world !
HAGAR, TS
Help me to be like Thee, and grant that I may try to
bring joy wherever I go. May I wait patiently for Thy
gifts ; and may I appreciate them when they come.
May my spiritual life bring forth such joy to myself and
others that it may indeed be * spiritual laughter.'
Resolution.
To cultivate the spirit of holy joy, remembering the
words of the Apostle: —
Thought.
* Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord.'
Ssa^ixx.
First Prelude, Picture : Hagar and Ishmael alone
in the wilderness.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O God, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my understanding and to inflame my will,
that I may meditate upon this history to the good of my
soul.
Consideration.
The child of bondage and the child of freedom
cannot dwell together. The child of the law is sent
into the wilderness with only bread and water — the two
necessaries of life — whilst the child of the Gospel is kept
to feast in the Father's house. How painful it must
have been for Abraham to send away Hagar the
Egyptian: how terrible to dismiss Ishmael, the son of
fifteen years ! Nothing short of a Divine command
74 MEDITATIONS OOGENESIS.
could justify such a proceeding. And the children of
freedom suffered from the children of bondage, even
after the separation ; for was not Joseph, Abraham's
grandson, sold to the Ishmaelites, and were not the
Israelites brought into slavery by the nation of Hagar
the Egyptian ? But, in spite of their rejection, God was
gracious to Hagar and IshmaeL He showed them the
well in the wilderness, and He made them a great
nation. God had told Abraham to give them up, but
He took care of them Himself.
Application.
The Church and the world cannot live together;
which of them am I cherishing in my house and in my
heart ? The world will mock the Church whenever it
has a chance ; my business is to serve the Church. The
child of the world is the child of bondage ; no bondage
is so great as that of the world.
The child of the Church is well named * Laughter,'
for its Lord says, * My yoke is easy and My burden
light' Do I try to get on with both? Or do I send
the world away — away with its loaf and its bottle of
water — away into the wilderness ? But will not the
world pine and die without me? Am I not too im-
portant to it to let it go with safety even to itself? Be
not afraid ; God will take care of it ; you cannot serve
God and Mammon. God will give it its proper place —
a well in the wilderness, a home with the archers, a wife
from the Egyptians.
Affection.
O blessed Father ! who takest care of all men, and
givest all their duties, I thank Thee that Thou hast called
me to have my portion with the children of freedom ;
ABRAHAM'S SACRIFICE, 75
grant that I may do the work that Thou hast given me
to do, and strive to please Thee with all my heaxt : and
give me grace to make this —
Resolution.
To cast out . . . which hinders me from the service
of God.
And to remember the words of the Lord : —
Thought.
* If thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full
of light.'
Jlbral^am's Sacrifice.
First Prelude. Picture : Isaac bound ; Abraham
raising the knife.
Second Prelude, Prayer : O God ! enlighten my
understanding and move my will that I may be able to
understand the meaning of this history, and draw from it
the lesson of self-sacrifice.
Consideration.
The time of prosperity was the time of trial. The
child of so many prayers, the child of so many years, is
in one moment to be given up and slain by the hand
most dear to him. As God the Father gave up God the
Son to the terrible death of the Cross, so Abraham gave
up Isaac to the wood and the knife. As God the Son
gave Himself up willingly, so Isaac went with his father
without a word and lay down on the altar of sacrifice.
As Jesus bore His Cross, so Isaac bore the wood upon
76 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
which he was to suffer. But as the Godhead could not
suffer death, though the Lamb of God in His human
nature did so, so Isaac was not allowed to die upon the
altar, but the ram was accepted in his stead. By this
great sacrifice of his son, Abraham consecrated the whole
of his race to God, and we, his spiritual descendants, are
dedicated to Him wholly and entirely ; and God has
given to us His only Son to be a glorious Sacrifice for
us ! O what a wonderful gift ! O what a blessed
exchange of love tokens !
Application.
Do I realise my entire dedication to God ? Do I
realise the immense sacrifice God has made for me ?
Am I ready to give Him anything, and everything He
demands? Everything I have, He gave to me, and
when He asks for it, He but asks for His own. I am
His ; therefore all I have is His. Three days of intense
agony Abraham bore ; the third day, the day of sacrifice,
was the day of deliverance. If I give up all my cherished
things to God, He will bring joy out of the sacrifice, and
the day of suffering will be transformed into the day of
consecration. Every time I take my part in the Sacrifice
of the Altar, let me bring what I love best and offer it
unto Him. He has provided the Lamb. Let me bring
the fire and the wood ; the fire of a heart glowing with
love, the wood of prayers and meditations which may
make that fire to bum. I will go to the mountain in
the spirit of sacrifice, and * In the mount of the Lord it
shall be seen.'
Affection.
O Heavenly Father ! Thou hast not withheld Thy
Son, Thine only Son, from me; grant that I may not
ISAAC AND REBEKAH. *n
withhold my fortune, my children, my dearest affections,
my life, myself from Thee 1 Every time I go to Thine
Altar let me lay my most precious things at Thy feet,
and, in order to do this thoroughly, I make this —
Resolution.
To offer up my love for such a person, my affection
for such a pursuit, entirely to Thee, and to remember
what I ought to be.
Thought.
* A living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God.'
§saac and ^ebcifeal^.
First Prelude, Picture : Evening. Rebekah watering
the camels. Isaac meditating in the fields.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O God, enlighten my
understanding and move my will, that I may be able to
meditate upon these Thy truths, and draw thence the
lessons of the active and the meditative life.
Consideration.
The choice of Abraham's servant was guided by God.
He distrusted his own judgment, and asked God to
choose for him. How many difficulties would Christians
avoid if they placed the everyday and business affairs
of life before God— asking His direction ! Rebekah
went out to draw water. In fulfilling the regular, quiet,
everyday duties of her life she met with her great happi-
78 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
ness. She was found by her husband's messenger.
Eleazar's prayer was answered Rebekah drew for her
home; she drew for the stranger; she drew for the
camels ; thereby fulfilling three parts of inexhaustible
charity— care for the home, hospitality, kindness to
animals. As Rebekah found her happiness in active
work, so Isaac met his whilst in quiet meditation. He
was in the fields thinking upon Gk)D ; and God showed
him his wife coming to him in the peaceful evening light,
and henceforth the active life and the contemplative life
were one for evermore.
Application.
Am I not often puzzled as to what I ought to do ?
Am I not tempted to think — If I had only more leisure ;
if only I were not obliged to spend so much time in mere
household duties, in mere routine duties, in mere busi-
ness duties, I could serve God and meditate upon Him
so much better ! And then I am tempted to think — If
only I had some active work, if I were not so lonely, I
could serve God so much better ! Let me think upon
these two evenings — the evening of activity, the evening
of meditation. God sent a blessing to both. Let me
accept joyfully whichever lot is assigned to me, and in
His good time He will join both together, and then I
shall have the perfect life. Only, like Rebekah, I must
in my active life first consider home duties, then hospi-
tality, then kindness for every creature ; and, like Isaac,
I must in my meditative life first go out to meditate, out
of every sordid care, and then lift up mine eyes to behold
the love of God. And these five things, which make up
the number of sacrifice, will consecrate my whole being
to God.
ESAU'S BIRTHRIGHT, 79
Affection.
O Lord my God ! I pray Thee to warm my heart
with sincere love of Thee, that, hke Rebekah, I may be
full of an earnest desire to do good to every creature, and
that, like Isaac, I may be absorbed and possessed by the
contemplation of Thy goodness ! Grant that I may pray
in work, and work in prayer ; that one may never hinder
the other, but both be consecrated to Thee. For this
end I will make this —
Resolution.
Whether praying or working, to expect a message
from God. And I will remember these words ; —
Thought.
' Yet a little while, and He that shall come will come,
and will not tarry.'
(^^avC^ ^\x{\)x\^\)i.
First Prelude. Picture: Esau entreating Jacob for
the pottage.
Second Prelude. Prayer: O God, I entreat Thee
to enlighten my understanding and to arouse my will,
that I may draw out the full meaning of this history, to
Thy glory and the good of my soul.
Consideration.
Esau came in from hunting ; he had probably had an
unsuccessful day 3 weary and faint, the mess of pottage —
8o MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
— the savoury red-lentil broth — attracted his attention.
Losing all self-control, he sacrificed the future for the
present ; a great and lasting good for a momentary relief
from suffering. What was the birthright? The headship
of the tribe, the priesthood of the family, and the immense
privileges promised to the line of Abraham. Esau under-
valued these privileges, but perhaps he only half believed
in them. In the New Testament he is called a profane
person ; his brother Jacob believed in and valued them,
although he obtained them in a selfish way. Esau's re-
solution was the work of a moment ; a child of impulse,
without discipline, without self-denial, he sacrifices the
spirit to the fiesh, and despises his birthright in the sight
of God and man.
Application.
I wonder at Esau's conduct, but am I not constantly
in danger of doing the same ? Nay, have I not done the
same? Weary of hunting, weary of trusting God for
food, do I not long for the savoury things of the world,
ready to hand ? Am I not ready to seize the pottage of
pleasure, the pottage of honour, of worldly consideration
— nay, even such a vile thing as the pottage of sloth and
self-indulgence? Have I not often thought the future
life must take care of itself j it is my business to seize
present good ? I have done this every time I have pre-
ferred worldly pleasure to religious duties ; feasting to
fasting at the proper times ; a frivolous action to a work
of mercy.
My birthright is a more glorious one than Esau's. I
was bom of water and of the Spirit, * A member of Christ,
a child of God, and an inheritor of the kingdom of
Heaven.' Shall I despise it ?
ISAAC'S SOWING AND REAPING, 8i
Affection.
O Heavenly Father ! I entreat Thee to accept my
hearty thanks that Thou hast given me such a glorious
birthright, that Thou hast called me to this state of
salvation. I pray Thee to give me Thy grace, that I
may never be so wicked as to despise it, and grant that
no earthly suflfering may ever induce me to forfeit it.
And here, lest self-indulgence may lead me gradually
astray, I will make this —
Resolution.
That I will deny myself in some one thing every day.
And I will remember the words of St. Paul : —
Thought.
'Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of
Jesus Christ.'
Isaac's giottJing aniv ^ea^jing,
First Prelude, Picture: A sower sowing his seed.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, I pray Thee to
enlighten my mind and to rouse my will, that I may
learn from Isaac's sowing and reaping what Thou wouldst
have me to do.
Consideration.
Egypt was a land of plenty. Owing to the overflow
of the Nile, crops were plentiful in that country when
famine reigned everywhere else. Egypt was, therefore,
G
82 MEDITATIONS ON jGENESIS,
the refuge of the ancients, the land to which their eyes
turned when food failed them. But it was also a country
of luxury, a country of idolatry, a land where the true
God was forgotten. It was a dangerous land for the
servants of the true God. Isaac was forbidden to go
there ; he was commanded to dwell in the land of Gerar.
Isaac not only obeyed the command, but his obedience
was so complete, that he sowed corn in the land, which
no one would do but an inhabitant thereof. He gave
himself up entirely to the will of God, and the conse-
quence was that he received in the same year a hundred-
fold, and the Lord blessed him.
Application.
Why do I not always succeed in the things I have
undertaken ? Because they are not begun according to
the will of God. God says dwell in this land, and I go
down into Egypt because I think I may have things
more to my liking, or more to the glory of God. Perhaps
I fear danger; but the danger from Abimelech is as
nothing to the danger from Pharaoh ; perhaps I am
restless, and do not think myself properly appreciated ;
perhaps I move away from the land in which God has
commanded me to dwell, because I do not believe in
His promises. O let me not be discouraged 1 Let me
not seek another sphere of work, another sphere of
suffering, because I am weary waiting for the increase.
God can bring a hundredfold out of the bare rock, but
it must be when He pleases and where He pleases. Why
am I restless ? Let me examine into my motives.
Affection.
O Lord, I thank Thee that Thou hast deigned to
give me something to do for Thee ; something to suffer
THE THREE WELLS, 83
for Thee. Let me sojourn in the land which Thau hast
chosen for me, happy wherever I may be, as long as Thou
art with me and dost bless me.
Resolution.
To sow in the land where God has placed me, trust-
ing Him entirely for the results.
Thought.
' Dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.'
l!^c %\)xt^ idells.
First Prelude, Picture : The servants of Isaac
digging j the herdmen of Gerar watching.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, I pray Thee to
enlighten my understanding and to rouse my will, that
I may draw living water from this meditation.
Consideration.
Isaac's greatness excited the fear and envy of
Abimelech ; he sent him away, not knowing the gentle-
ness and meekness of the peaceftil son of Abraham, who
departs without saying a word.
He digged a well in the valley ; the herdmen of
Gerar watched to see whether the water was good, and
then claimed it, without having spent any labour upon
it. Isaac called the well Esek, or ^ contention,' and dien
G2
84 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
moved away from it He digged another well in a place
further off ; the herdmen watched him again, and finding
that the water was good, they took the well away from
him. Isaac named the well Sitnah, or Hatred, and
then moved away from it. With patience and persever-
ance he digged a third well, and the herdmen contended
with him no more ; and he called it Rehoboth, or
Room. What was the consequence of this quietness,
this self-renunciation ? A vision of the Lord, a triple
blessing, a holy altar, and the well called Beersheba,
which means the Well of Seven ! Sheba meaning Oath
and Seven.
Application.
I must move away from Contention and Hatred if I
would have Room in the land where the Lord has sent
me. When I have found a good thing by my own
labour, I think it very hard that I should be robbed of it
by those who have only watched me and done nothing
themselves. Isaac endured this twice^ and would have
endured it a third time : fit type of Jesus Christ, Who
was chased from Bethlehem by a wicked king, and from
Nazareth by a violent mob. I cannot bear to be deprived
of my rights ; I cannot bear to give place unto wrath.
If I could only cultivate the true spirit of detachment I
should receive the same reward as Isaac — communion
with God ; the threefold joys of God's presence, God*s
blessing, and spiritual fruitfulness ; the delights of the
Altar of God ; and the spiritual Beersheba, which is the
living water cf the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost.
Affection.
O Lord Jesus Christ ! Grant me the true spirit
of meekness, that I may neither contend with nor hate
THE RECONCILIATION. 85
another, but may quietly pass on to an unoccupied place,
leaving hatred and contention to the herdmen of Gerar,
the children of this world.
Resolution.
To leave contention to the contentious, and to trust
my cause to God.
Thought.
"When they persecute you in one city, flee ye to
another.'
%\)t ^cconciliaJion.
First Prelude, Picture: The King and his two
friends approaching Isaac.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, I pray Thee to
enlighten my understanding and to strengthen my will,
that I may gain from this meditation the deep longing
for a sweet and peaceable disposition.
Consideration.
Abimelech had said unto Isaac, *Go from us,' and
Isaac went without a murmur. In spite of the herdmen
of Gerar, Isaac succeeded in everything he did, because
the Lord had blessed him, and all around were forced
to acknowledge this. When Abimelech saw that Isaac
was blessed and prosperous, he came to him and begged
for his friendship. He took with him Ahuzzah and
86 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
Phichol, his friend and his captain, counsel and arms,
and, thus fortified, he sought the peaceful Isaac. When
Isaac saw the three coming to him, he asked them why
they had come after him, as they had sent him away.
When they asked for his friendship, he not only gave it
them, but he made them a feast, and they did eat and
drink. It was full, free, and perfect forgiveness ; he not
only forgave them, but he lavished his good things upon
them.
Application.
When I have been slighted, abandoned, insulted,
turned out of my own, and circumstances have changed,
and prosperity has overtaken me, and others have courted
me, what has been my feeling towards those who
once behaved ill to me ? Probably something like this :
* They slighted me when I was badly off and thought to
be nobody. I do not care now for their attentions, they
may depart without my friendship.' And what has my
Lord done for me, who refused so long to listen to His
voice, and turned Him out of my heart ? He not only
accepted my repentance, but took me to His home and
made me a feast — ^fine flour of wheat and the chalice of
red wine. Let me learn from Isaac the joy of a peaceful
and generous heart ; let me learn from Jesus the over-
flowing love which delights in feasting the penitent
Affection.
O Lord, I worship and honour Thee for the love
with which Thou hast welcomed my repentance ; save
me from all meanness and baseness of spirit, and grant
that I may be full of loving-kindness and generosity.
Resolution.
Not only to forgive, but to give.
THE TWO BLESSINGS. 87
Thought.
' Forgiving us those things whereof our conscience
is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are
not worthy to ask.'
l^l^c %voo blessings.
First Prelude. Picture : The bow and arrows of a
hunter and the crook of a shepherd — contrast.
Second Prelude, Prayer : O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to arouse my will, that I may
meditate rightly upon the blessings of Isaac and the faith
of his sons.
Consideration.
Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob.
The flesh and the spirit carrying on a war, each trying
to supplant the other. Isaac and Rebekah had waited
twenty years for Esau and Jacob, and now when they
had grown to the prime of life their presence was war.
It had been revealed to Rebekah that the elder should
serve the younger. This must have been a trial to Isaac.
He was a loving, peaceable man, anxious that eveiything
should go on in its accustomed channel, not likely to
place his younger son above the elder. His blindness
rendered Rebekah's schemes practicable. Rebekah's
impatience ruined present happiness ; but both carried
out the will of God. Esau had sold his birthright, he
was therefore unworthy of the blessing, but he had the
S8 MEDITATIOKS ON GElfESIS.
blessing he could undeistaiid and appreciate; he had
chosen eardily diings, and the ^tness of earth was pro-
mised him, the dew of heaven afterwards ; whilst to Jacob,
who had chosen heavenly things, the dew of heaven was
promised first and then the fiitness of die eardi and plenty
of com and wine.
Application.
Have I sold my birthright for a mess of pottage, and
do I come now claiming the blessing ? Heavenly things
are only obtained by heavenly minds. The mess of
pottage sufficed me long ago, and now I must put up
with the blessing of Esau and take the second place.
Lentils may do for Esau, but com and wine for Jacob.
AVhich do I long for ? The pleasures of the world, or
the jojTS of the sacraments ? O may I choose die highest
path now, or the time will come when at the last day I
shall cry with an exceeding great and bitter cry, * Bless
me, even me also, O my Father ; ' and I shall cry in
vain.
Affection.
O Lord, grant, I beseech Thee, that my spirit may
overcome the flesh, and that I may so value my birth-
right that I may inherit the blessing.
Resolution.
To prefer spiritual privileges to earthly advantages.
Thought.
' Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap.'
THE HATRED OF ESAU, 89
%\^^ i&afrc5 of @$au.
First Prelude. Picture, Esau watching Jacob
amongst the tents.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my understanding and to rouse my will, that
I may leam the sinfulness of all hatred, envy, and jealousy,
and guard against the first appearance of them in my
heart.
Consideration.
Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith
his father had blessed him. He was a fit ancestor of
Herod, who hated Jesus because of the blessing where-
with His Father had blessed Him. Both tried to get
rid of their rivals j both were apparently successful ; both
failed in the end. Esau never takes the blame to himself.
He remembers not his recklessness in parting with his
birthright, but he looks forward to revenge ; and he shows
the hardness of his heart by wishing to make the day of
mourning the day of blood. He looks forward with joy
to bringing a double grief upon the head of his mother.
He is only saved from the sin of Cain by the forethought
and prudence of Rebekah in sending her favourite son
away — as she thought — for a few days ; but, as it after-
wards proved, for many years.
Application.
When I have, by my own fault, lost a privilege, do 1
hate the person who has obtained it instead of me? Do
90 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
I try to do him some injury? Do I wish to prevent him
from reaping the whole benefit of it ? Instead of blaming
myself for my heedlessness, sloth, carelessness, and
stupidity, and being thankful that somebody else has had
the grace to value what I have despised, I fear I have
too often allowed a dislike of that person to grow up
within my heart It may be that I have let slip a great
chance of getting on in life, and that another has made
use of it ; it may be that I have undervalued a means of
spiritual health, and another has stepped in before me ;
it may be that I have missed an opportunity of doing
good, and that another has seized it and reaped the
blessing. Is there any hatred in my heart on account of
this, and, if so, what am I doing to check it ?
Affection.
O dear Lord Jesus, Fountain of Love, let me not
have part with Thine enemies. Let me have no fellow-
ship with Esau or Herod, those fierce princes of Edom,
but may I meekly accept the consequences of my faults,
and take all the blame to myself.
Resolution.
To act and speak kindly to ... . who has sup-
planted me.
Thought.
^ Whoso hateth his brother is a murderer.'
JACOB'S LADDER, 91
Jacob's J[a55er.
First Prelude, Picture: Jacob asleep. The angels
ascending and descending.
Second Prelude. Prayer: O Lord, I pray Thee to
enlighten my understanding and to inflame my will, that
from this meditation I may learn the lesson of trust in
Thee.
Consideration.
The lonely one, sent away by his father, hated by his
brother, going to a strange land and to unknown relations.
Stones were his pillows, the setting sun his companion.
But as the message from God to Abraham came in the
darkness, so the message from God to Jacob came in the
darkness. The ladder was set up and the top of it reached
to Heaven, and the angels of God ascended and de-
scended on it. The Lord stood above it and gave Jacob
His blessing. He carried away with him his earthly
father's blessing ; but now, to comfort him in his loneli-
ness, he has his Heavenly Father's blessing. No longer
surrounded by friends and relations, he has the company
of the angels. Alone in the world, he has the promise
that in his seed all the families of the earth shall be
blessed ; and the ladder between himself and Heaven is
the emblem of Christ, Who brings the supernatural close
to the natural, and is the way between earth and Heaven.
Application.
How little I know what is good for me ! How often
do I mourn over a change which seems to me a most
92 MEDITATIOyS ON GENESIS,
undeserved misfortuDe, and all the time it has been the
means of bringing me nearer to God. It was necessary
for me to be brought away from Beersheba, the Well of
Promise, towards Haran, the Mountain of Trial, and first
to the ' certain place,' the place of proving, which has no
name, because it is different to each person. In my lone-
liness, there I find the ladder readiing to Heaven, and
the angel-messengers ; God above all ; and the spoken
blessing, a blessing beyond all my hopes. What matter
if the sun has set, and I have only the stones of that
place for pillows? If I can only hear my Lord say, ' I
will not leave thee until I have done that which I have
spoken to thee of ; ' then ' I will lay me down in peace
and take my rest, for it is Thou, Lord, only that makest
me dwell in safety.'
Affection'
O dear Lord Jesus, abide with me, and the stones
will be soft pillows, and the desert will blossom as the
rose, and Heaven will be brought close to earth. Thy
love is greater than that of father, mother, or brother : a
home in Thy heart is more than all the tents of Isaac,
more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Resolution.
To go out to the mountain with a cheerfiil heart,
looking always for a great blessing after a great trial.
Thought.
* Hereafter ye shall see Heaven open, and the angels
of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.'
BETHEL. 93
iScfl^el.
First Prelude. Picture: Jacob pouring oil on the
stone.
Second Prelude, Prayer : O God, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my understanding and to move my will, that
I may study the ways of Thy Providence with a watchful
eye, and sanctify every place where I meet Thy Love.
Consideration.
Jacob awoke to the presence of God. * Surely the
Lord was in this place and I knew it not.' His sorrow,
his loneliness, have passed away ; his love, his gratitude
remain. He takes trouble and pains to testify to the
presence of God. He takes the stone he had slept on,
and consecrates it to God. He takes oil from his store,
perhaps the scanty store of his own provision of food for
the journey; and as St. Mary Magdalen poured hers
upon the Living Altar, he pours his upon the altar of
stone. But not only does the past receive his gratitude,
and the present his exertions; the future receives his
promises. He vows a vow, and he promises to build a
House of God, and he dedicates his tithes. And to do
all this * he rose up early in the morning.'
Application.
When God has blessed me, coming to visit me in my
affliction, turning my sorrow into joy, what do I think.
94 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
say, do ? Am I ashamed of not sooner recognising His
presence ? Do I acknowledge, in words of thanksgiving,
the wonderful help and joy He has given me ? Do I
take trouble to sanctify places and things to Him, not
because He has need of them, but to show forth my
gratitude ? The Stone of Sorrow, the Oil of Peace, both
belong to Him ; but it is a privilege to me to acknowledge
the fact, and to show it forth by a dedication to Him.
The Land which belongs to Him He has given to me :
the stones, and the oil, and the tithes I offer back to Him.
He gives the greater to me, I offer Him part of the lesser ;
but by doing so I acknowledge the fact that everything I
have is from Him.
Affection.
O Lord God, open my eyes that I may see and
acknowledge Thy presence. Let me never have to say,
' Surely the Lord was in this place, and I knew it not,'
but grant that Thy House may indeed be to me the Gate
of Heaven, and let the oil of peace ever fall upon the
stone of sorrow.
Resolution.
To expect to meet God in His House, the Church,
and to love to make my offerings there.
Thought.
* Lord, I have loved the habitation of Thy House,
and the place where Thine honour dwelleth.'
THE SHEEP AND THE WELL, 95
%^^ %M^V ^«^ ^^^ iBcH.
First Prelude. Picture: Three flocks waiting by the
well.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O dear Lord, I beseech
Thee to enlighten my understanding and to strengthen my
will, that I may draw from this meditation a keen desire
for Thy living water^ and a great longing to impart it to
others.
Consideration.
In the land of the people of the East, three flocks
were waiting for the stone to be rolled away from the
mouth of the well ; but the stone could not be rolled
away until Rachel had brought her flock. In the hand
of the Son of Righteousness three great historic Churches
are, with their oflfshoots, waiting for the abundance of the
Living Water — the Greek, the Latin, the Anglican ; but
the fulness of joy cannot be received until Rachel has
brought up her flock, until the children of Israel acknow-
ledge their Saviour. Jacob wanted to send the three
flocks away that he might have his interview with Rachel
in private ; but the flocks were to wait one for the other.
No true joy can take place until all are gathered together.
The first kindness Jacob showed Rachel was to water her
father's sheep ; the best service we can render Our Lord
is to bring the living water to others.
Application.
I am often inclined to be selflsh in spiritual things ; I
like to have the well to myself, I like to talk with Rachel
96 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
alone. But who am I, that I should have more privileges
than odiers ? I must wait until the other sheep come up,
I must wait until all the flocks be gathered together.
Have I not often been in a selfish hurry ? Have I not
often made my convenience the first object ? Have I
not been over-anxious for a good place in church, for the
first turn in spiritual privil^es, not considering that
others have waited longer than I have — ^that their souls are
of quite as much consequence as mine ? Jacob wished to
hurry the others, that he might be the only one to greet
Radiel at the well ; I often wish to be first as he wished
to be last, and firom a much more selfish motive — that
others may serve me, not that I may serve others. And
what haste I am in to see the fiilness of blessing imparted
to the Church ! I seem to think it a disgrace to myself
if the Church of which I am a child is not fully watered ;
forgetting that all the flocks must be gathered together
before the fiilness of joy can be received by alL
Affection.
O dear Lord Jesus, Thou good Shepherd of the
sheep, gather us all together close to the waters of life ;
make us all to rejoice in each other's happiness and re-
freshment, reunite all who love Thee, and grant that all
the flocks may be gathered together and be made one
flock under one Shepherd
Resolution.
To do all I can, in every particular, for the reunion
of Christendom, and the gathering in of Israel.
Thought.
* With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of
salvation.'
LEAH AND RACHEL, 97
J^cal^ an5 ^acl^cL
First Prelude, Picture : Jacob at work amongst Laban's
flocks.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my understanding and to inflame my will,
that by the help of this meditation I may bring forth the
fruits of labour and patience.
Consideration.
Jacob desired to make Rachel his wife, and diligently
served for her seven years. The delight of pure wisdom
is only to be obtained by diligent toil. The heights of
perfection are gained by the ladder of the saints. The
seven works of mercy may gain Leah and her fruitfulness ;
the voice of the preacher may bring forth spiritual
children ; but Rachel and her preciousness must be
served for yet another seven years, and these seven years,
as St. Augustine saith, may be poverty of spirit, meekness,
mourning, hunger and thirsting after righteousness, merci-
fulness, purity, peacefulness. Jacob served for Rachel
and was given Leah, but the less precious was the more
fruitful of the two, and Leah bore seven children, and
amongst them was Judah, the founder of the Royal line
of David and the ancestor of Jesus Christ.
Application.
By setting my affections upon the higher, I may gain
the higher and the lower also. *Seek ye first the
H
98 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS
kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these
things shall be added unto you.' By working patiently
and accepting the lower, I may in due time attain to the
higher. The contemplative life is the more beautiful;
the active life is the more fruitful. God keeps me
waiting for the one until I have fulfilled my duties to the
other. How am I fulfilling these duties ? Is my life a
life of labour and patience, or do I consider that I ought
to have everything I wish directly 1 long for it? Perhaps
I consider myself fit for high things when God knows
that I am only fit for common things. Do I think that
I know better than God ?
Affection.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who hast toiled so long for
me, grant that I may never think any toil long for Thee.
As Jacob longed for Rachel, so may my soul long for
Thee ; and though I must pass through the cares of the
world to attain to Thee, yet will the seven years of
service seem but a few days for the love I have to Thee.
Resolution.
To persevere in quiet labour, knowing that God
promises are sure.
Thought.
* For ye have need of patience, that after ye have don
the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
THE CHILDREN OF JACOB, 99
%%^ §]^tI6rett of gacob.
Fint Prelude. Picture: Jacob praying amid the
flocks.
Second Prelude, Prayer : O Lord, I pray Thee to
enlighten my mind and to inflame my will, that I may
learn from this meditation the wonderful progress of
those who love Thee.
Consideration.
The names of Jacob's wives and children are full of
suggestion s. Leah, though full of good works, is * wearied. '
Rachel, the precious * ewe * lamb, gives forth nothing for
many years. Though Zilpah, * dropping ' blessings, brings
forth * good fortune ' in Gad and * happiness * in Asher,
yet * modesty ' Bilhah alone brings forth, a * right judgment '
in Dan and a * likeness ' to God in Naphtali. Jacob's
sons in a parable show the progress of the Christian life
with God. First comes Reuben, 'the vision of the son
of God ; ' then Simeon, the ' hearing ' and obeying of His
will ; then Levi, the being * held ' or associated with Him.
Then follows Judah, for the heart bursts into * praise ' of
the Lord ; and Dan 'judgment,' and Naphtali * likeness,'
come afterwards in due order. Gad, * good fortune : '
Asher, * happiness \ ' Issachar, * work for God,' which
* brings ' the true * wages ; ' Zabulon, a * habitation ' with
God, lead up to Joseph, *He shall add' works of
blessing to others ; and all culminate in Benjamin, the
^ son ol the Right Hand,' the enjoyment of the presence
H 2
lOO MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
of God ; whilst Dinah, the only daughter, is ' judged,'
vindicating the principle of the justice of God.
Application.
The tree is known by its fruits. What kind of fruit
do I bear ? When I have seen the vision of the Son of
God, am I careful to obey His voice ? Do I wish to be
associated with Him ? Do I praise God in all I have to
do ? Is my happiness, my blessedness, to be with Him,
and to make my habitation among the godly — having
first sought for true judgment and likeness to God, and
engaging myself to work for Him only ? My life should
be a continual progress, a continual giving forth until I
get to my last but one, my best beloved, Joseph, the
adding to the increase of the joys of others, and then my
actions become those of the son of the Right Hand,
whilst the calm mind looks on, tracing the Hand of the
Almighty. Is this my aim and object ? Or is my life a
jumble — a scene of self-satisfied confusion ?
Affection.
O Lord, I thank Thee for all the blessings Thou
hast given me. May I see Thy Almighty hand in all the
events of my life, and, as new blessings and new duties
crowd around me, may my will be joined entirely to
Thine.
Resolution.
To make every blessing a step heavenwards.
Thought.
* All things serve Thee.'
Note. — For the observation upon Dinah the writer is indebted to Mr.
Jukes in his * Types in Genesis.'
THE RICHES OF JACOB. loi
l[I)e 'glici^es of ^acob.
First Prelude, Picture: Jacob going forth with his
flocks and his herds.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to inflame my will, that I may
look upon all worldly things as means of discipline, or
as signs of Thy love and favour.
Consideration.
By diligent service, all Laban's riches came by degrees
into the possession of Jacob. Laban's daughters, his
servants, his flocks, his herds, came into the hands of
the poor wajrfarer who had watered Rachel's sheep at
the well when he first came amongst his kindred. What
was the reason ? Jacob worshipped the true God in the
midst of ignorance and idolatry. Like his grandfather
Abraham, his heart kept true to Jehovah. He did not
get tainted with the imperfect and semi-idolatrous worship
which he saw going on around him ; and so, in spite of
many faults, many returns of the old spirit of deception,
God acknowledged him and gave him the sign of favour
promised in the Old Testament — temporal prosperity.
Application.
Am I acknowledging Gk)D in the midst of a perverse
generation ? In the midst of half beliefs, and wrong
beliefs, and no beliefs, are the promises of my God dear
I02 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
to me ? Do I keep steadfast in the midst of my earthly
journey, as Jacob kept steadfast during the twenty years
he spent in the tents of the stranger ? Perhaps I do, and
God has given me sons, and daughters, and servants, and
flocks, and herds. Let me take them as tokens of His
blessing, and be ready to give them up at any moment.
Perhaps I am steadfast to God, and He gives me none of
these things : let me not fear, I shall have them spiritually.
Spiritual sons and daughters, children I have taught and
brought up in faith : good thoughts, good works, labours
and sacrifices. All these things are more than sons and
daughters, more than servants and riches, more than
herds and flocks. O God, make me a true Jacob, that
I may carry off abundant treasures from the world, which
changes my wages ten times, and deceives me whenever it
can.
Affection.
O dear I^ord Jesus Christ ! May I never serve
Thee for aught but Thyself ! Thou art more to me than
children, and servants, and riches ; more than glory and
fame ; more than kindred and family. Lord, may it ever
be so !
Resolution.
To wish for nothing — to despise nothing.
Thought.
* By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and
honour, and life.'
MIZPAH. 103
^igpal^.
First Prelude. Picture : Jacob setting up a stone.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, I pray Thee to
enlighten my understanding and to inflame my will, that
I may learn from this meditation to cultivate the spirit of
watchfulness.
Consideration.
What a contrast between Jacob's first pillar of stone
and the last ! What a contrast between Bethel and
Mizpah ! At Bethel the promise had been given ; at
Mizpah the promise had been fulfilled. At Bethel the
stone became the House of God, at Mizpah the stone
became the Watch Tower. When Jacob was alone and
poor, he had need only of the House of God, one stone
to pour oil upon, one stone for an altar. When Jacob
returned with his multitude of souls and of riches, he had
need not only of a stone to offer sacrifice upon the Mount,
but he had need of a Watch Tower between himself and
the land where he had gained his riches ; he had need of
a ' witness ' between himself and Laban ; he had need of
a line of separation between his country and Padan-
Aram.
Application.
The more prosperous I am, the more watchful I
should be. The richer I am, the more cautious I should
be not to let the spirit of the world grow in me. Mizpah
must be built and dedicated with solemn sacrifice upon
104 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
the Mounts a testimony against the world, the flesh, and
the devil. The heap of stones for a witness, the pillar
for sacrifice. Both must be built together — watchfulness
and prayer. Have I built these two guardians, or have
I foi^otten them and returned triumphant, enjoying my
riches temporal or spiritual, as the case may be, without
the fear and trembling of the true servant of God 7 It is
well for me if I have learnt to build the Pillar and the
Tower.
Affection,
O dear Lord Jesos Christ, I thank Thee that Thou
hast of Thy great mercy given me two such safeguards.
I love Thee for teaching me how to make use of them,
and I pray Thee that I may never relax in my vigilance,
nor doubt the power of sacrifice.
Resolution.
To be more particular about Vigils and Communions.
Thought.
' Watch and pray.'
Jacob's ^eiurn.
rst Prelude. Picture: The flocks of Jacob, the
of Esau.
■xmd Prelude. Prayer: Lord, I beseech Thee
^hten my mind and to strengthen my will, that
learn by meditating on this history how to behave
t% of danger.
JACOB'S RETURN, loS
Consideration.
The angels of God met Jacob and formed a camp on
each side of him. The Heavenly Father protected
him from his earthly brother. Fear, however, reigned in
the heart of Jacob, for he knew how Esau had been
waiting long years for revenge. The four hundred spears
of Edom were coming against the peaceful procession of
Israel. Jacob was full of anxiety, not for himself, but
for the souls in his charge. He neglected nothing to en-
sure their safety. He first addressed himself to God and
then to man. He addresses himself to God with the
most thorough acknowledgment of owing everything to
His bounty ; he tells Him of his fears with the most
touching confidence. He then turns to his brother and
seeks for reconciliation, grudging no worldly goods, in
order to make that reconciliation easy.
Application.
I am in danger from many enemies, spiritual and
temporal. How do I behave in times of danger ? Do
I trust in my own strength ? Do I neglect precautions ?
Do I cling to my worldly possessions, instead of being
ready to sacrifice them for the good of others ? Am I
willing to be reconciled to my brother by gentleness and
good offices ? A camp of angels may be on my right
hand and on my left, and yet my own obstinacy or sloth
may render God's goodness useless in my behalf. His
help must be sought for with the most intense humility,
and my brother must be addressed with kindness and
with presents — ^with things that he can understand —
goats, and sheep, and camels, and kine. Let me not
grudge him these temporal things because spiritual
gifts are beyond him.
lo6 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
Affection.
O Lord, I thank Thee for the help Thou hast given
me, for the camps of angels, for the watchfulness of Thy
love preparing me for the contest Give me the strength
of prayerfulness, gentleness, and generosity.
Resolution.
To tell my griefs to God first, and then to do my best
Thought.
* There is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.'
^entcl.
First Prelude, Picture: Jacob wrestling with the
Angel.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, I pray Thee to
illumine my mind and to strengthen my will, that I may
learn from this conflict the power of prayer.
Consideration,
Jacob won his father Isaac's blessing by deceit He
was to win his Heavenly Father's blessing by a fearful
hand-to-hand struggle — alone, and at night All he loved
had passed over the brook before him — he was left alone
with the awful spiritual power. His patience, his gentle-
ness, his generosity, had all been tried ; now his strength
and resolution were to be called forth. All night the
struggle continued ; at last the supernatural vanquished
PE/^IEL. 107
the natural, and Jacob received the mark of the struggle.
In return for his lameness he received the blessing, the
spiritual for the temporal, the heavenly for the earthly.
In return for his solitude he saw the Face of God.
Application.
As my spuitual life progresses my efforts must be
stronger and stronger. When Jacob left his father's
house with only his staff, he had sweet dreams of the
angels. When he returned with two bands he had to
prove his strength in a fearful wrestling-match. When
I went forth into the spiritual life with only the staff of
God's grace, I had sweet drawings of grace and great
spiritual joys ; when I return with ' two bands,' the
spiritual and temporal blessings that grace has won for
me — experience, works of mercy, spiritual children, in-
fluence — I must dare to send all I love across the brook,
1 must dare to wrestle spiritually all night Have I ever
done this ? Or have my efforts decreased with age and
prosperity ?
Affection.
O Lord God, I entreat Thee leave me not ; I look
for Thee alone. Thy blessing is to be sought with
energy and courage 3 give me strength to fight the good
fight of faith. I will not let Thee go except Thou bless
me.
Resolution.
To pray more earnestly.
Thought.
* The kingdom of Heaven suffereth violence, and the
violent take it by force.'
io8 MEDITATIONS O.V GENESIS.
%\)c honours of §acob.
J^irst Prebidf, Picture : The altar at Shalem.
Second Prtlvde, Prayer: O Lord, I pray Thee to
illumine my mind and to strengthen my will, that I may
learn by this meditation what are the true honours, and
how I should receive them.
Consideration.
Jacob received honours from God, and he raised an
altar to God. Man receives honours from man, and he
raises an altar to the world — power. Jacob was accepted
by God. Jacob received a name from God. Jacob be-
came the heir to the land. What does he do in return ?
At the very first opportunity he raises an altar in the very
first parcel of land he can call his own ; and in return for
being named Israel, the Prince of God, he calls Jehovah
God — the God of Israel The higher God elevates him,
the higher he raises his thought of God, the more he ap-
propriates Him and acknowledges His awful majesty.
Jacob buys a home in the land, but it is no home to him
until he erects there an altar.
Application.
How do I receive the honours God has been pleased
to send me ? Do I turn from them and look only for
worldly honours. He has made me a prince in His sight
He has given me greater honours than those of Jacob,
THE HONOURS OF JACOB. 109
for has He not made me a child of God, a member of
Christ, and an inheritor of the kingdom of Heaven?
Perhaps I have bought a field, perhaps I have spread a
tent, perhaps I have built a house, perhaps I have
founded a family. Am I looking for an earthly title?
Am I striving for worldly precedence ? Or am I con-
tent to be a prince before God, and to glory in the name
of my baptism? Does the thought of God's benefits
rouse me to acknowledge Him as my God, and to build
Him an altar? Have I built Him a church on my
estate? Have I given Him an oratory in my house?
Have I furnished Him a shrine in my heart ?
Affection.
O God of my heart, I acknowledge Thee as my Got),
my only Lord. Nothing is good until oflFered to Thee,
nothing is holy until dedicated to Thee. I would rather
be homeless than have a palace without Thee. Oh, may
my first thought be how to honour Thee duly I
Resolution.
To honour God before all.
Thought.
*Them that honour Me, I will honour.'
no MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS
Renewal.
First Frelude, Picture: Jacob hiding the idols and
gold rings under the oak.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to move my will, that I may
put away everything which is displeasing in Thy sight
Consideration.
An act of treachery and murder led to robbery of a
friendly city, idolatry, and covetousness. The cruelty
of Simeon and Levi made Jacob's household familiar
with the gold and the idols of Shechem. The sin of some
brings misery to alL In the midst of the consternation
caused by the treachery of his sons, God calls Jacob once
more to Bethel — his starting-point The House of God
was to be his refuge, the promise was to be renewed ;
but, first of all, the idols were to be put away, the clean-
sing was to take place, the garments were to be changed.
Then does Jacob respond to the call ; then were they to
arise and go up to Bethel.
Application.
After a great sin, an immediate return must be sought.
I have sinned often and often against light and know-
ledge. May I return with all my heart ; but in order to
do this I must return in God's way. There are five
things to be done — putting away the sin, cleansing the
THE HOUSE OF GOD. iii
conscience, gaining the white robe, rising from evil sur-
roundings, going up to the House of God j then I may,
by the grace of God, be able to attain to His altar. I
must bury my idols and put away my ill-gotten gains ;
the accursed thing must trouble me no more, it must be
dead and buried. So may I return again to my happy
starting-point, and God's name shall be twice upon it,
where before it was only once.
Affection.
O God, I mourn that I have ever offended Thee ; I
pray Thee to take away from me everything which tends
to idolatry and avarice ; I desire to possess nothing but
Thee, to worship no one beside Thee, my God and my
Lord.
Resolution.
To shrink from no sacrifice when God calls me.
Thought.
* Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your
doings.'
^]^c excuse of <|)06.
First Prelude. Picture : J acob consecrating the stone
Second Prelude. Prayer : O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to strengthen my will, that I
may learn by meditating on this history the meaning of
true dedication to Thee.
112 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
Consideration.
The beginning and the end. Before Jacob went to
Padan-Aram, he worshipped in this place, and dedicated
it to God. When he returned from Padan-Aram, he
again dedicated his altar to Gk)D, pouring upon it oil and
wine ; the oil of peace and the wine of joy. Happy are
they who begin and end all their journeys and all their
schemes in the House of God. He goes away a young
man poor and lonely ; he returns in full age with wives
and children, flocks and herds, servants and riches. And
yet, though his circumstances have changed so much, his
offerings to God are just the same, — ^the stone, the wine,
the oil, the heartfelt dedication. He had given all, he
had no more to give. Jacob the exile offers oil and
wine ; Israel the Prince offers oil and wine, and God
accepts the offering, and God renews the blessing.
Application.
Jacob pours oil and wine upon a stone. My God
pours oil and wine upon my stony heart The oil of the
Holy anointing of His Spirit, the wine of joy and yet of
Holy sadness, the wine of the blood of Christ ; they
have been poured upon a stone, but that stone is con-
secrated to Him, and He can soften it with His grace.
God gives Jacob the blessing, and Jacob offers wine and
oil ; God gives the oil and wine, shall I not praise and
bless Him ? After each favour from God Jacob's devo-
tion grows stronger ; God showers His favours upon me
and I hardly take the trouble to breathe a thanksgiving.
God promised Jacob that kings should descend from
him ; God has allowed me to call the King of the Church
my Brother, and Himself, the Lord of all, my Father.
Where is my offering ? Where are my praises ?
THE SORROW OF JACOB, 113
Affection.
O God of my life ! may I learn what true dedication
means. May I begin and end every action, every journey,
every plan in Thy House. May each blessing from Thee
draw forth a renewed offering from me.
Resolution.
To thank God for each blessing as it occurs, and not
to presume upon past favours, nor rest upon bygone acts
of devotion.
Thought.
* Unto Thee, O God, do we give thanks j yea, unto
Thee do we give thanks.'
%^^ borrow of gacob,
First Prelude, Picture : Jacob at Rachel's grave.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to strengthen my will, that I
may be helped in this meditation to understand and to
profit by the uses of sorrow.
Consideration.
All Jacob's wishes seemed to be accomplished ; he
returned to his native land rich, great, and honoured, with
abundant offspring and much domestic affection. The
dreaded meeting with his fierce brother was over ; the
I-
114 MEDtTATtOm ON GENESIS.
blessii^ of Jehovah was renewed and confirmed to bim ;
he was going home to his father triumphant. Suddenly
his beloved Rachel is called away from him. The
faithful companion of so many years of trial is taken just
when she would have rejoiced in the overflow of his
prosperity. She was never to reach the earthly home
they bad so often looked forward to; she was never to be
brought to her earthly father — Isaac The son so longed
for had been named by his mother the son of sorrow - by
his &ther he was called the son of prosperity, so closely
are sorrow and prosperity allied.
Application.
Do I expect things to go smoothly with me ? Do I
look for uninterrupted prosperity ? If I do, I may be
very sure that a check is coming. Perhaps I have worked
hard for many years and never seen any fruit from my
labours, and at last success has come. I have rejoiced
in that success, and have looked round for one to share
it with me — perhaps the one who shared all my trials ;
and that one has passed away. What is the lesson I
must learn from this P I must learn that the son of pros-
perity is the son of sorrow ; I must learn that Benoni
and Benjamin are the same upon earth; that joy and
sorrow are so closely intermingled that I can scarcely
ever have joy without sorrow. In heaven the joy will be
entire and eternal, but here I have no continuing city ;
I must never be sure of wife, or home, or father ; I may
mark my sorrow with a stone, but I must journey on
V — ,nd the watch-tower of Edar.
Affection.
> God, Thou art my God, whatever may befall me !
ling can separate me from Thee ! Wife, children,
THE DEATH OF ISAAC, 115
flocks and herds may all be taken away, but the altar and
the covenant remain between me and Thee for ever. I
thank Thee, O my God !
Resolution.
To advance spiritually, whatever temporal checks I
may sustain.
Thought.
* Though I walk in the midst of trouble, yet shalt
Thou refresh me.'
%^^ Pcaf]^ of gsaac.
First Prelude, Picture: Jacob and Esau at the grave
of their father.
Second Prelude, Prayer : O God, I beseech Thee to
enlighten my mind and to strengthen my will, that I may
learn how to draw fruit from this meditation, and to
honour Thee in life and in death.
Consideration.
Jacob returned to his father in time to see him die,
in time to bury him. The two brothers, rivals and
enemies once, were reunited at the grave of their father.
Isaac in his old age looks round for his peaceful home-
loving son ; he is away from him, separated by the deceit
of Rebekah, the hatred of Esau, his own grasping dispo-
sition. These were all overruled, and made to carry
I 2
Ii6 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
out Jehovah's will ; but they were none the less sinful in
themselves. Isaac in his old age, deprived of his younger
son, is left weak and blind to the care of the fierce and
warlike Esau. Rebekah has been called away : she was
not spared to welcome home her favourite son. What
memories must have crowded into the minds of both
brothers when they met at their fether's grave ! How
much to regret in the past I How much to repent of !
Application.
In family rivalries, in family disputes, am I selfishly
led away by the feeling of the moment, or do I look
forward to the time when death — my own death, or that
of others — will make all these things either of no im-
portance, or perhaps subjects of bitter remorse? Per-
chance, after many years of misunderstanding, I meet
near relations at a funeral, or by the side of a grave. In
a moment the tide of feeling rushes over the heart, and
the past is regretted, and quarrels are repented of. A
little forethought might have prevented all this. Esau
may indeed say, * The days of mourning for my father are
at hand, then will I slay my brother Jacob,' but let Jacob
once call to mind the dark days which are surely in the
future, and he will neither vex his father nor irritate his
brother. Let me think over my own feelings, and hasten
to glorify God by being at peace with all men, that I may
have nothing to reproach myself with when death lays
his hands upon me or those I love.
Affection.
O Lord, I entreat Thee that every loss, every
funeral, may be a lesson to me, a call to greater holiness,
a step upward ; and grant that I may have no cause for
the misery of remorse when those I love are laid to rest
THE SEPARATION OF ESAU AND JACOB, 117
Resolution.
Whenever I am angry or selfish, to picture myself, or
those I would injure, dead
Thought.
* So teach us to number our days that we may apply
our hearts unto wisdom/
^ ■ ■
^j^c gicparaftott of ^^axx and ^acob.
First Prelude, Picture : Esau's long caravan departing
for Mount Seir.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to strengthen my will, that I
may gain knowledge and resolution from this meditation,
and learn what Thou wouldst have me to do.
Consideration.
The two Banners are displayed — the Banner of the
World, and the Banner of the Church. Esau had
conquered Edom and was about to dwell in it ; a future
of war, of excitement, of rapine, lay before him ; from
that time forth, Edom has been a fear and a terror, the
cradle of the Mussulman, the scourge of the Church.
When the two brothers parted, how little they knew that,
in the far-off ages, the Idumean Herod would sit as king
in Jerusalem, mocking and tormenting the real King, the
descendant according to the flesh of the mild and
ii8 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
peaceable Jacob ! Esau and Jacob in the course of
centuries beheld as their descendants Herod and Jesus !
Jacob, with all his faults, is determined to dwell in the
land of his father's sojoumings, the land of the covenant,
the land which God had promised him : Esau is deter-
mined to carve out his fortune for himself, and to dwell
in the land he has conquered. The fear of God is the
motive power of the one ; self-will the motive power of
the other.
Application,^
Which Banner have I chosen to follow ? The Banner
that leads to Mount Seir, or the Banner that leads to
Mount Sion ? The World or the Church ? True, the
choice has been made for me in my baptism, but I may
ratify it or reject it. Is my will right with God's will ?
Am I seeking a vocation, an occupation, a reputation
which He does not choose me to have ? Am I longing
for movement, excitement, conquest ; or am I content,
with quiet patience, to dwell in the Land of Promise ?
Upon my course now may depend not only my own
future but the future of my earthly or my spiritual children.
A will one with God's will, a heart right with God, makes
all clear, all easy; if this main principle be firm and
steadfast, all the events of life, all the little accidents of
position, means, occupations, pleasures, and duties, will
arrange themselves and fall into their proper places.
Affection.
O God, Thou art my God ! Let me not swerve one
moment from Thee ! Let me follow Thy Banner wherever
it may lead me ! Never let me think for one moment of
my own interest, my own will ; let me only think of Thy
glory.
THE ENVY OF JOSEPITS BRETHREN. 119
Resolution.
In every circumstance of life, to think what is the
will of God. Not—* What do / wish ? '
Thought.
' Choose ye whom ye will serve.'
^]^c §nt)6 of goscpl^'s ^rcf^rctt.
First Prelude, Picture : Ten men gazing with hatred
upon one innocent youth.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten mine eyes and to strengthen my will, that I
may meditate profitably on the envy of Joseph's brethren,
and learn to know and avoid this sin.
Consideration.
A pure life brings forth envy on the part of those who
are leading an impure life. Great love calls forth hatred
from those who are not so loved. Joseph, the innocent
lad, the eldest child of the beloved Rachel, was, by his
gentleness, his purity, his spiritual life, a constant reproach
to his rough and unspiritual elder brethren. The envy
had probably been lurking in their hearts for many years ;
and when Jacob gave Joseph a coat of many colours (a
garment of rich colours sewn together in very small pieces,
thereby showing great pains in its making) it may have
been not only a special favour, but a sign that he was to
I20 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS
be the head of the family instead of Reuben, whose sin
had perhaps forfeited that position. They hated him and
shewed that they hated him, and, like the terrible hatred
of Cain towards Abel, they showed it first by the tongue.
They could not speak peaceably unto hinu
Application.
This sin of envy brings forth hatred ; hatred brings
forth sins of the tongue. Am I envying any Joseph ? Do
I dislike some one whose life is better, purer, nobler than
my own ; some one who is innocent and unsuspicious
of evil ; some one who is deeply loved, some one whose
disposition is a contrast to my own; some one who,
though far younger than myself, and possessing far less
of the wisdom of the world, has been clothed in a coat
of many colours, and set above me in high places ? If
I am thus envious, why am I so ? Why have I fallen
from the high estate I might have had ? Am I to neglect
my Heavenly Father and to sin against Him, and then
expect the highest place? Do I envy spiritual gifts ? If,
as St. Bernard says, the coat of many coloiu^ means
spiritually the varied gifts of the Holy Ghost, I have
them not because I deserve them not How often my
harsh words proceed from harsh thoughts and my harsh
thoughts from the evil spirit of envy !
Affection.
O Lord my God, cast out of me the evil spirits of
envy and anger ! Let me not think or speak evil of any
one for fear I should speak evil of one of Thy friends,
perchance of Thy favourite child. If I have fewer privi-
leges than others, let me know that it is my own fault.
I have not been worthy of them.
JOSEPH'S DREAMS, 121
Resolution,
To take the lower place as a matter of course, and so
to check the first rising of envy.
Thought.
* He knew that for emy they had delivered Him.'
^oscpl^'s Preams.
First Prelude. Picture: An upright sheaf; eleven
prostrate around it
Second Prelude. Prayer : O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my understanding and to strengthen my will,
that I may meditate profitaUy upon this history, and
draw from it hope and encouragement
Consideration.
Joseph's dream of the sheaves was doubtless sent to
him by God as an encouragement and a consolation in
the midst of his brethren's unkindness and contempt.
The innocent mind is fit for revelations from the Most
High, and finds its greatest solace in communion with
the world above. Joseph had to work in the fields with
his brethren, and probably he heard not one kind word all
day ; but at night his Heavenly Father revealed to him
his fiiture glory, and the triumph of good over evil, though
the evil seemed so much stronger. His first dream being
treated with hatred and contempt by his brethren, another
dream still more emphatic was sent to him, as if to confirm
the prophecy of the first, and he was made to announce
122 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
it to his kinsfolk, in order that they might remember it in
the time to come.
Application.
The day is sometimes dark and dreary, but the night
is my own, and, if I lead an innocent life, will be full of
the visions of God. How often I am discouraged by the
strength of evil and evil-doers. Not only is the world
full of injustice and evil-speaking, but the Church also.
The forces of evil seem like ten to one, and the ten so
much stronger, so much wiser, than the one. Little
Benjamin has not yet grown big enough to help me, and
the ten older and stronger are all against me. But who
is on my side ? The fruitfulness of the earth and the
glory of heaven, all the sheaves and all the stars ; for
there is to be a new heaven and a new earth, wherein
dwelleth righteousness. The vision of future glory can
sustain the weakest Christian under the trials of false
brethren : is my life so devoted to God as to deserve the
vision ?
Affection.
O Lord Jesus Christ, the innocent Joseph was truly
but a type of Thee 1 Thou wert surroimded on every
side as he was, found fault with, spoken harshly to, called
not only a dreamer but a blasphemer ; help me to a por-
tion of Thy humility and Thy innocence, and may I look
forward to the vision of Thy Glory 1
Resolution.
To \oo\i forward^ instead of blooding over the present
and the past
Thought.
* Truly my hope is even in Thee.'
JOSEPH'S SEARCH FOR HIS BRETHREN, 123
goscpl^'s giearc]^ for l^te ^refi^rcn-
First Prelude. Picture : Joseph looking for the shep-
herds and the sheep in the fields of Shechem.
Second Prelude, Prayer : O Lord, I pray Thee to
enlighten my understanding and to strengthen my will,
that I may learn the true meaning of this search, and be
ready to answer to Thy call.
Consideration.
Whilst his brethren were full of black thoughts and
envy towards Joseph, he was made the messenger of his
father's kindness towards them. He was sent to see
whether they prospered, for they were near an enemy's
country ; whether it was well with them. Joseph's faith-
fulness here comes into prominence, for when he found
they were no longer in Shechem he did not return to his
father with the excuse that he had only sent him so far ;
but he found out whei'e they had gone, and went after
them to Dothan, twelve miles to the north. Instead of
being softened by this conduct, they conspired against
him even before he came near to them ; and the envy
and hatred they had indulged in brought forth the dark
plot of murder and lies. *
Application.
Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, was sent by
His Father with a message of mercy. He walked through
134 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
the fields searching for his brethren. He followed them
afar, and all the return for His love was — * They con-
spired against Him to slay Him.' What part or lot have
I in this matter? My Saviour is looking for His shep-
herds and His sheep. He is anxious to know if it is
well with them close to the enemy's country. He is
looking for me. How am I responding to the call?
Am I overjoyed at the sound of His voice ? Am I
grateful for His care, or am I conspiring against Him ?
Am I stifling Christ in the pit of my sinful heart, and
then seeking to lay the blame upon some evil beast?
Am I with the ten or with the One ? Do I look upon
His great promises and prophecies as idle dreams, and
take part with the vain philosophies of the world ? If
I do, I am like the brethren who conspired against Joseph
to slay him. I am like the Jews who murdered the
Brother Who would have saved them.
Affection.
O dear Lord Jesus Christ, I thank Thee with all
my heart for coming to see if it be well with mq. I
would make a throne for Thee in my heart, and pray
Thee to abide with me for ever. When I see Thee afar
off, may I run to welcome Thee J When Thou drawest
nigh, may I rejoice with a pure heart !
Resolution.
So to act that I may be glad to be found by Jesus.
Thought.
• My soul is athirst for God.'
REUBEN'S HALF'HEARTEDNESS, 125
'glcubcn's ^alf-]^carfc5nc6s.
First Prelude, Picture: Reuben looking into the
empty pit.
Second Prelude, Prayer : O Lord, I pray Thee to
enlighten my understanding and to inflame my will, that
I may learn from this meditation the necessity of strongly
opposing evil.
Consideration.
The eldest brother was moved with compassion for
his innocent young brother. Two of the ten seem to
have been kinder-hearted than the eight others. Reuben
would have saved Joseph altogether ; Judah wished for
a lighter measure than death. But neither were brave
enough to resist evil. Reuben reproves not evil ; he
only suggests another kind of death, in order that he
may return and save his brother in secret ; he is ruled
by policy, expediency, love of popularity, fear of turning
numbers against him. Had he boldly denounced the
wicked proposal of his brethren, he would have been on
the side of Jehovah, and prevented a cruel wrong ; he
would have saved himself long years of remorse, and
long years of deceit towards his father. The wrath of
his brethren would have been perhaps terrible, but short.
The misery his half-hearted conduct produced was deep
and long.
Application.
How often I am half-hearted, afraid of opposition,
fearful of the world's opinion 1 I think a straightforward
126 MEDITATIONS 01^ GEXESIS,
course onwiae ; so I imFOit excuses, slightly blame those
I really admire, speak of dieir rashness in order to
excuse my own lukewarmness. I do not wish my
brother to be killed, but I advise him to be stifled. I
put him in a pit just to gain a certain sort of credit with
the world for prudence and sagacity, and then I think I
will come and take him out secretly just to save my own
conscience. But the world, perhaps, is a little too strong
for me, and when I come to the pit I find my Joseph is
gone, and my portion nothing but lamentation and woe.
Why am I so ^lint-hearted? Why do I not at once
that which is right, leaving results in the hands of God ?
I will choose His side, and the side of His servants, and
neither palter nor parley with the world.
Affectign.
O Lord Jesus Christ ! Reuben would have saved
Joseph, Pilate would have saved Thee, if they could have
done so without compromising themselves. Let me not
partake of their timidity, but give me courage and reso-
lution, that I may boldly rebuke vice, and never treat
with Thy enemies for a moment
Resolution.
To be thorough and straightforward in all things,
especially to-day in . . .
Thought.
' The Lord is on my side ; I will not fear what man
can do unto me.'
yOSEPH m THE PIT. \ri
gosepl^ in fl^c ^tf.
First Prelude, Picture: Nine brothers sitting down
to eat bread ; the coat of many colours by them.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, enlighten my
mind and inflame my will, that I may learn by this
meditation not to walk in the counsel of the ungodly.
Consideration.
The beloved son is taken, snared, stripped, cast into
the pit The hard-hearted brothers sit down to enjoy
their midday meal, heedless of the love that prompted
Joseph to follow them all the way from Shechem to
Dothan. Jesus was stripped of His garment, even as
Joseph was stripped of his so many hundred years before.
The soldiers sat down at the foot of the Cross, even as
the false brethren sat down to eat bread when Joseph
was in his agony in the pit. He was suffiering there, and
he knew not what a wonderful type he was of a far
greater Sufferer. He had heard the proposal for his
murder, and he feared yet that it might be carried out.
Alone in the depth of the pit, he looks up to the hot
sky for deliverance : his brothers are eating and drinking,
caring 'nothing for his sufiferings and terror.
Application.
Am I mourning with Joseph or feasting with his
brethren ? Is my Saviour put far away from me, and are
128 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
His sufferings hid from my thoughts? I look at the
coat of many colours. I know that my Brother is near,
but my heart is hardened to all His sighs, and I care
not for His grief, for I have chosen my evil companions,
and though the bread they give me is nothing but a
stone, I follow the ways of the world and leave Him to
mourn for my soul in vain. I have heard unmoved their
plans for His slaughter. I have seen unmoved their
attempts to hide Him. He is not dead, but He is buried,
and I dally with His persecutors.
Affection.
O Lord Jesus ! my brother ; make me faithful to
Thee ! May I never join with those who plot against
Thee. Give me grace to confess Thee before men, and
if needful to risk my life for Thee.
Resolution.'
Never to allow Jesus to be put out of sight
Thought.
' My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.'
^^c felling of gosc})^.
First Prelude, Picture : The brethren drawing Joseph
out of the pit.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, enlighten my
THE SELLING OF JOSEPH. 129
mind and inflame my will, that I may learn from this
meditation never to betray Thee.
Consideration.
The caravan draws nigh. Merchants and camels
bring sweet-scented goods, balm of Gilead, myrrh bitter
and precious. Slaves, too, are probably with them, and
to this goodly company Joseph is sold, and takes his
place with the other slaves. As Jesus was sold for thirty
pieces of silver, so Joseph was sold for one-third less, so
small a price did his brethren gain for their sin ; two
pieces of silver each — for this paltry gain did the grand-
sons of Isaac sell their brother to the grandsons of
IshmaeL And they thought they had been merciful in
their proceedings, and took credit to themselves for not
killing him then and there. They had hidden their
wickedness in the pit ; they were now going to hide it
in a far country.
Application.
The caravan of this world draws very nigh to me.
Shall I sell my Jesus for the things of this life ; for the
spicery of praise, the balm of flattery, the myrrh, the
sweet bitterness of intellectual strife ; for the pieces of
silver, the gross material love of money? What am I
selling my Jesus for? I have not killed Him, O no, I
had nothing to do with that ; I will only betray Him,
I will let the Ishmaelites have Him, and I shall gain the
pieces of silver, and I shall lose the inconvenient sight
of the perfect One beloved of His Father, the perfect
One to Whose perfection I cannot attain. The caravan
shall depart out of sight ; and shall I be content ?
I30 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
Affection.
O Lord Jesus ! my only Beloved One ! let me never
betray Thee ? May I count all the things of the world
but dross, so that I may possess Thee ! Let me not
draw Thee out of the pit only to sell Thee ! Let me
not lift Thee from the hidden depth of my heart only to
betray Thee under pretence of serving Thee !
Resolution.
Never to make a bargain with Christ's enemies.
• Thought.
* What shall a man give in exchange for his soul ?'
W^^ g^orrow of gacoft.
First Prelude, Picture : The coat of many colours
dipped in blood.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, enlighten mine
eyes and inflame my will, that I may learn from this
meditation to abhor deceit and cruelty.
Consideration.
The devil is the father of lies and the lover of cruelty.
Joseph's brethren were carrying out his schemes when
they gave vent to their revenge and cruelty. But though
the strong man armed kept the house, another stronger
THE SORROW OF JACOB, 131
than he came upon him, and turned all his schemes to
the advancement of Joseph and the glory of God.
Meantime what suffering ! what terror ! what anxiety !
what despair ! Twenty years of deceit, twenty years of
watching their father's misery ! How often they must
have longed for the days of comparative innocence when
they watched their brother coming over the plains of
Dothan. Nine Judases left to the misery of twenty years
of deceit and remorse, witnesses of a sorrow they could
neither comfort nor alleviate.
Application.
Have I ever allowed revengeful motives to warp my
strict sense of truth ? Have I ever caused sorrow to
another by a falsehood ? I may not have done a cruel
act, I may not have told a downright lie, but I may have
caused sorrow by base insinuations. I may not have
killed my brother, I may not even have sold him, but I
may have dipped his coat in blood, I may have tarnished
his reputation, I may have blemished his character, and
this I may have done in revenge for some fancied insult,
or simply because he was more beloved or more success-
ful than myself. If I have done any wrong of this kind
let me not stand still and witness the sorrow of another,
but let me at any risks repair it as far as I am able.
Affection.
O dear Lord Jesus ! Full of mercy and forgiveness !
Thou wouldst have forgiven Judas had he repented
Forgive me all my deceit, my envy, my unkindness,
forasmuch as I have done it unto one of the least of Thy
brethren I have done it unto Thee 1
K 2
132 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
Resolution.
To repair at once any wrong I may have done.
Thought.
' Consider the end thereof, and thou shalt never do
amiss.'
goscp]^ amongst ^frangcrs.
First Prelude, Picture: A steward carefully register-
ing all operations.
Second Prelude, Prayer : O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to inflame my will, that I may
learn from this meditation how to perform all my duties
diligently.
Consideration.
Joseph in Egypt Far from his loving father, his eyes
opened to the treachery of his brothers ! alone in a strange
country. How does he act ? He worships God, and
does his duty to his master. God was with him. This
shows that, like Abraham his great-grandfather, like Isaac
his grandfather, he had the worship of his God always
near to his heart. The nights and days of visions and of
lonely musings now bore fruit ; a life of activity amongst
strangers needed all the support of the meditations of
the past Silence, diligence, faithfulness, prayerfulness,
these were the qualities shown forth by Joseph ; and by
the blessing of God the despised slave, sold for twenty
JOSEPH AMONGST STRANGERS, 133
pieces of silver, becomes the chief of the house and the
ruler of all. Diligence in prayer causes diligence in work,
and diligence in work always wins confidence.
Application,
How do I behave in a position that I am forced into?
or a work I do not like? Perhaps I have the very thing
given me to do which I most thoroughly dislike ; perhaps
I am obliged to live with those with whom I have no
sympathy. What should my first thought be? The
Glory of God. What the second ? To do what I have
to do in the best possible manner. I would rather be tend-
ing the sheep on the plains of Shechem than watching
Potiphar's workmen. I would rather be worshipping at
the Patriarch's altar than beholding the idolatry of the
Egyptians. But what has God given me to do? Where
has He sent me ? There I must go, and that I must do ;
and I will do it with all my heart, and go wherever He
sends me cheerfully. Good will come out of evil, and
my cause is in His hands.
Affection.
O, Heavenly Father, wherever I go no one can take
me from Thee ! I cannot be separated from Thee except
by my own act. Thy presence enfolds me. Make me
more and more sensible of this, and grant that I may
cultivate the sense of Thy presence as my dearest and
holiest possession.
Resolution.
To be diligent in work and prayer.
Thought.
* Fervent in spirit, serving the Lori^.'
134 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
gosep]^ %cmj^Ub.
First Prelude. Picture: A white lily, tall and strong.
Second Prelude. Prayer : O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to inflame my will, that I may
learn from this meditation to know my temptations and
to fly from ihem.
Consideration.
After success comes temptation. The very success
causes temptation. The temptation is near, intimate,
hidden under the same roof. The tempter is unsuspected,
wily, persevering, tempting day by day. To sin is safe,
to refuse to sin dangerous. But there is no hesitation on
Joseph's part. There is no dallying with sin. Nothing
but unhesitating refusal. When refusal is of no avail
there is sudden flight. And remark, the sin against a
human being is not so much thought about as the sin
against God. Many think that they may sin safely if
they neither betray a trust nor bring others into trouble.
They forget the sin against God^ but this was the sin in
Joseph's mind.
Application.
Do I ever listen to the tempters of this world ? Do
I ever encourage idolatry of the world or of self, which is
spiritual impurity ? When asked to do anything which
lowers the Christian standard, do I dally with it ? Do I
make excuses ? Do I find out reasons of expediency ? I
JOSEPH FALSELY ACCUSED, 135
must boldly refuse to sin against God. If pressed I
must depart. Never mind appearances. God knows
the truth.
Affection.
O Lord, I pray Thee not to allow me to be tempted
more than I am able to bear, but when I am tempted
make a way for me to escape : let me not be taken
captive by the world with its promises, but enable me by
Thy grace to keep undefiled my body and my soul.
Resolution.
To fly at once from those who would decoy me from
my duty.
Thought.
* Escape for thy life. Look not behind thee.'
§05^p^ ^alsclB 3lccusc5.
First Prelude. Picture: Joseph before his angry
master.
Second Prelude. Prayer: O Lord, I beseech Thee to
enlighten my mind and to inflame my will, that I may
learn from this meditation meekness, silence, and trust
in Thee.
Consideration.
The trusted steward is accused of acting the part of
the basest traitor. How great his grief at the accusation !
136 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
How fearful to be thought the betrayer of the master
who had trusted and honoured him ! But he answers
not He does not defend himself. He accuses no one.
How different from the spirit of the world ! The spirit
of the world would have counselled a noisy defence : the
spirit of Christ counsels silence. Christ before Pilate
answered not a word. Those who have committed their
cause to God are not anxious clamorously to assert their
innocence before men.
Application.
What do I do when I am falsely accused? — ^when
my motives are misunderstood? Do I justify myself
clamorously ? Do I accuse some one else ? The good
opinion of good men is indeed precious, but when appear-
ances are against us we must suffer in silence and
commit our cause to God. Let not the sin of another
cause me to sin. What we are in God's sight, that we
are in reality^nothing more and nothing less.
Affection.
O holy Lord Jesus Christ ! ;ilent and lamb-like
before Thine accusers, grant me silence when I am
falsely accused, meekness towards my accusers, and an
unwavering trust in Thee.
Resolution.
To bear to be thought less well of than I fancy I
deserve.
Thought.
*' Having a conscience void of offence.'
JOSEPH IN PRISON, 137
goscp]^ in prison.
First Prelude, Picture: Bars and chains.
Second Prelude. Prayer: O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to inflame my will, that I may
learn from this meditation to persevere in welldoing.
Consideration.
Joseph is in prison, but still waiting upon God.
Diligent persevering service is still his aim. The diligence
that followed his brethren to Dothan, the diligence that
ruled Potiphar's house so well, is now employed in the
service of God in the prison. There is no disgust at a
lowlier lot There is no dislike of the prison duties. And
yet we know he suffered, for we are told that * the iron
entered into his soul.' The secret of his diligence and
his cheerfulness was his constant communion with God.
All he did was * not with eye-service as men pleasers,' but
•fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.'
Application.
If trouble befalls me, do I keep my trust in God?
Am I content to work on in a lower place ? Or, do I
mourn over my degradation, my isolation? Do I re-
member that all my work is God's work, and that it
ought to be entirely immaterial to me where He sends
me, or what He gives me to do, so long as I am doing
His Holy will? A menial in a prison may be as great in
138 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
God's sight as the steward of a nobleman's palace — ^far
greater, if in that prison he be doing God's work. May
I do what I have to do welly and never mind how lowly
the task may be.
Affection.
O dear Lord Jesus ! instead of murmuring that my
work is not grand enough, may I strive to realise what a
privilege it is to be allowed to work for Thee at alL I
thank Thee for each little lowly task Thou hast given
me, and I pray Thee to give me grace that I may per-
form it well
Resolution.
Wherever I am, to look round and see what I can do
for God.
Thought.
* In all labour there is profit.'
gosepft as gfttferprcfcr.
First Prelude, Picture: Joseph serving the chief
butler and chief baker.
Second Prelude. Prayer: O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to inflame my will, that I may
learn that spiritual insight is only to be obtained by
waiting upon God.
Consideration.
Joseph cannot be kept down. He is made the ser-
JOSEPH AS INTERPRETER, 139
vant of servants ; he has to wait upon two of Pharaoh's
chief officers, and yet his gifts cause him to rise up far
beyond the level of anyone in the prison. And what is
the secret of this ? Doing his best. He is full of obser-
vation j he is full of kindliness. * Wherefore look ye so
sadly to-day ? ' he says to the prisoners he has charge of.
He does not do his office merely as a matter of routine.
He puts his heart into it ; he observes and is sorry for
the sufferings of others. And when he hears their trouble,
he says, * Do not interpretations belong to God ? ' Here
is love to man and trust in God, and this is the secret of
spiritual insight.
Application.
God will not let me learn much about spiritual things
if I take no delight in conversing with Him ; to know His
hidden things requires a heart right with God and man.
A self-occupied, morbid, morose disposition will never
open my mind to heavenly things ; if I wish to learn
about them, I must have great power of sympathy and
great communings with God. Is it nothiujg to me when
my fellow-travellers look sad? Do I point them to
iheir Heavenly Father in their sadness ? If I look up
to Him, if I look round upon them, I shall have no time
to consider my own sorrows. Do I realise this ? And
what shall I do in the future ?
Affection.
O Mighty Saviour ! Give me Thy heavenly power of
sympathy that I may divine the sorrows of others and
direct them to tJie true Comforter. Give me spiritual
insight that I may help them to understand the dangers
and the deliverances which are near them.
140 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
— •— — <
Resolution.
To think of God and my neighbour in preference to
self.
Thought.
* In Thy light shall we see light.'
§05ep5 ^forgoffen.
First Prelude, Picture : The chief butler giving the
cup to Pharaoh. Joseph in prison.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to inflame my will, that I may
learn from this meditation to trust Thee with patience
and quietness.
Consideration.
Joseph in prison ; two full years longer ; his touching
appeal forgotten. * Think on me when it shall be well
with thee.' Neglect is very hard to bear, especially from
those we have befriended. It is more diflicult to bear
than injury or privation. St. John the Baptist probably
felt being left in the prison at Machaerus more than all
the privations of the desert. Perhaps the chief butler
feared to forfeit his newly-recovered favour by directing
Pharaoh's attention to a prisoner. Perhaps intimacy
with a stranger, a Hebrew, would have been no credit to
him. Joseph had served the chief butler in prison \ the
JOSEPH FORGOTTEN, 141
chief butler takes no trouble to serve Joseph. He may
really have forgotten him ; but he could not have cared,
or he would have taken the trouble to remember.
Application.
How do I feel when I am forgotten and passed over,
perhaps by those who owe me gratitude and considera-
tion? Am I angry and disturbed? Do I brood over
my wrongs, or do I know and feel that I have God with
me, and have no right to look for anything more ? He
who has learnt to accept neglect has attained to true
freedom of spirit. The way to do this is to think lowly
of myself. If I am occupied with myself I shall expect
every one else to be so too. Let me take any period of
neglect as a time of retreat, a hiding from the world, a
period of blessing specially sent by Goix
Affection.
O dear Lord \ let me be forgotten by all so long as
I am not forgotten by Thee ! Let me be hidden in the
sweet prison of Thy heart, and learn of Thee what the
world cannot teach.
Resolution.
To be calm and restful during forced inactivity and
neglect.
Thought.
' Tarry thou the Lord's leisure/
142 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
^osep]^ af §ourf.
First Prelude. Picture: Joseph standing before the
king.
Second Prelude. Prayer: O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to inflame my will, that I
may learn from this meditation to seek and obtain the
true wisdom.
Consideration.
A sudden change from the depths of a prison to a
king's court. Deliverance came without any effort on
Joseph's part They who brought him out were in haste.
Not so Joseph. He was quiet and calm, and had made
all needful preparation. No fear, no hurry; he con-
siders the business before him with dignity and calmness.
Why is this? Because he refers all things to God. He
never for one moment loses sight of the fact that he is
the servant of the true God. It is not he who gives the
answer. It is *God shall give Pharaoh an answer of
peace,' and * God hath showed Pharaoh what He is about
to do.' The thought of God brings forgetfulness of self.
Application.
When circumstances suddenly change with me — ^when
events call me to take a more prominent part, when I
have to decide either for myself or others — why am I
restless, changeable, hurried, uncertain, excitable. It is
because I cannot lose the thought of myself in the
JOSEPH AS COUNSELLOR^ 143
thought of God. How often I might have interpreted
the difficulties of others, shown them what to do, helped
them in a great crisis, if I had had the simple thought,
* God shall give thee an answer of peace/ The thought
of self brings mist, confusion, agitation ; the thought of
God peace, wisdom, help, and comfort. What hinders
me from having the thought of God to fill my soul with
peace ? Self-love is the evil eye that fills the whole of
me with darkness.
Affection.
O Lord God, I pray Thee to take away self and give
me Thyself. Thou art True Light, True Wisdom. If I
have nothing of my own I shall have everything of
Thine.
Resolution.
To speak and act as God's servant, not as an inde-
pendent person.
Thought.
* In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.'
goscp]^ as ©ounsellor.
First Prelude. Picture: The lonely Hebrew stand-
ing amidst all the powerful Egyptian counsellors.
Second Prelude. Prayer: O Lord, I beseech Thee
to illumine my mind and to warm my will, that I may
144 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
learn from this meditation how to obtain the spirit of
counsel and understanding.
Consideration.
From the prison to the palace ! Joseph, once the
captive, now the counsellor of one of the most powerful
monarchs in the world.
Quiet, businesslike, composed, he tells in plain language
the doom of Egypt and the way to avert it. He asks no
one's advice ; he requests no one to tell him how to deal
with the capricious and passionate temper of a despot.
He has one Counsellor — God Almighty. He knows from
the past that he shall be protected in the future. He
foretells the evil as well as the good. He advises
energetic and immediate measures. He cares not
whether the advice is well or ill received. He gives it
from the Lord his God.
Application.
Do I take pains to understand the worldly matters
that come before me, or do I scorn the common business
of life, deeming it unworthy of those who might be
occupied with prayer and meditation, and the duties of
religion ? In difficult questions do I ask God to help
me, knowing that the earth is the Ix)Rd's and the fulness
thereof? The largest affair, such as the feeding of nations,
as well as the smallest, such as the welfare of a single
household, is His peculiar care ; and it is an honour to
be associated with Him in providing for the bodily wants
of others. May I never be impatient when having to
deal with temporal things, such as questions of food and
clothing I but do all in a reverent, calm spirit, knowing
that there is nothing trifling, nothing uninteresting to a
yOSEPirS ADVICE. 145
child of God, especially when the welfare of others is
concerned.
Affection.
O Lord ! I mourn that I have so often neglected my
duties, and esteemed them commonplace because they
seemed small and unimportant. Forgive me, and make
me to see the dignity of being the King's helper in pro-
viding for His servants.
Resolution.
To give attention to business, to accounts, to house-
hold duties, for the love of God.
Thought.
* Thou givest them their meat in due season.'
^ose^jl^'^ Jl5mce.
First Prelude, Picture : Seven full ears, seven thin
ears.
Second Prelude, Prayer : O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to inflame my will, that I may
learn from this meditation how to lay up good store for
the future.
Consideration.
Joseph foretold the seven years of plenty, but he
foretold that afterwards the seven years of famine should
come. The seven years of plenty were not to be spent
in reckless enjoyment or in prodigal waste. They were
to be -made years of forethought, years of storing up.
L
146 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
The miser saves for the sake of saving ; the good man
saves for the sake of giving out again in a day of
difficulty. The wise man takes advantage of opportu-
nities ; when he has wealth of learning, or religion, or
wisdom, he lays up for the time of scarcity, the time when
perhaps he shall be far away from all these things.
Application.
Do I take advantage of all my opportunities and lay
up for the time of need ? Perhaps I was once surrounded
by the blessings of the intellect and cared not for them ;
or I was reckless and a spendthrift with regard to friend-
ship and human affection; or, perhaps, I gathered
nodiing out of the many years of religious privileges I
once had ; and now I am ' in a barren and dry land
where no water is.' I am punished now for having laid
up so little. I might have had such a store of good
things if I had diligently gathered and diligently stored
up. May I learn from this to make the most of all my
privileges, particularly of my communions. May I strive
to store them up and retain their grace, for I know not
when I may have the opportunity of receiving again.
Affection.
O my God, I thank Thee for the many years of plenty
I have enjoyed. May I so use them that the years of
dearth, when they come, may have no power over me.
Resolution.
To lay up a store of prayers, meditations, communions,
whilst I am able.
Thought.
'Open thine eyes and thou shalt be satisfied with
bread.'
CORN IN EGYPT, 147
§orn in @9BpJ-
First Prelude. Picture: A granary full of corn sur-
rounded by an arid waste.
Second Prelude, Prayer : O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to inflame my will, that I may
know where to seek the true Bread, and may have energy
to find it
Consideration.
The Egyptians in their distress and starvation went
to Pharaoh. They cried to their earthly king for help.
He sent them to Joseph. The nations around, and in
the far distance, heard that there was com in Egypt ;
they too came, and they too were sent to Joseph.
Joseph's father and brethren heard that there was com in
Egypt ; they too sent to that far-off land, and lo ! the
keeping of the com was in the hand of Joseph the
despised one. He was the centre, the hope of all men,
the mler of the Egyptians, the deliverer of the nations,
the saviour of the brethren who had despised him.
And who is the spiritual Joseph ? Is it not Jesus,
the Saviour of all men who come to Him, the Ruler of
the kings of the earth, the Holy One whose brethren did
not believe in Him ? The nations of old were hungry ;
they sought Joseph and found bread, and were satisfied.
The nations now are hungry, and restless, and dissatisfied,
but they will not seek Jesus, Who would give them the
Bread of Life.
L2
148 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
Application.
There is no true satisfaction in the arid waste of a
worldly life, and yet do I not try to be satisfied with it ?
I am one of the children of light, and yet I am not as
wise as the children of this world. They even find out
where to go for their bread, and they lose no time in
seeking it. I, too, know where to find the True Bread,
but do I take the trouble of the journey, and do I rejoice
to bring the price? If I have a long way to walk to the
Altar of the Lord, if I have to get up early in the morn-
ing, am I not apt to grudge the trouble, to avoid the
exertion? Do I not think sometimes it costs too much
money, it takes up too much time, when I would grudge
no money, no time for something the world thinks neces-
sary or expedient ?
Affection.
O Blessed Lord Jesus ! True Bread of Life ! pardon
me for neglecting Thee and spending money for that
which is not bread. Thou art the true corn, Thou alone
canst satisfy the hunger of the soul.
Resolution.
To seek more earnestly the Bread of Life, and to
grudge no exertion in obtaining it
Thought.
* ^Vherefore do ye spend money for that which is not
bread?'
THE DISCIPLINE OF THE HARDENED SOUL, 149
§ouI.
First Prelude, Picture: Joseph's brethren bowing
down before him.
Second Prelude, Prayer: O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to strengthen my will, that I
may learn how to follow Thee in the ways of holy
discipline.
Consideration.
Joseph's brethren came to him for bread. They
knew him not, and as yet they felt no remorse for their
sin. He knew them, but restrained himself, for they
were not to be restored to the privileges of kinship until
they had undergone the roughness of discipline. Gradu-
ally they were to be brought to the knowledge of their
sin, gradually they were to be restored to brotherhood.
Their own hearts were to be prepared by little and little
for the great future that lay before them. The true
Joseph, the Lord Jesus, prepares the hearts of His
people in the same way. They come, hungering for
earthly food, and He does not let them go until they
yearn for their spiritual privileges ; they come half-hearted
and He insists upon their giving up all to Him, even the
cherished Benjamin ; they come to Him, as the multitude
came for the loaves, and He speaks roughly to them in
order to convince them of sin. Joseph's brethren had to
go through the Purgative Way before the Illuminative
150 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
Way dawned upon them ; and the brethren of Jesus have
to do the same.
Application.
Entire self-surrender is what Jesus claims. Am I
seeking Him for my own advantage ? Am I keeping
back some Benjamin of my heart ? I must give all to
Him. But perhaps I do not know Him, I do not see
Him as He is. ' My sheep hear My voice, and I know
them, and they follow Me.* What keeps me from know-
ing Him? Some unacknowledged, unrepented sin. I
go to Him and expect the bread of prosperity, and
wonder why all my desires are not granted. Instead, I
am met by a demand for entire surrender, and He speaks
roughly to me. Why is this? His heart yearns for
my heart, but my heart yearns not for Him, but for His
gifts. I will accept the discipline ; I will try to find out
what it is that prevents me from knowing the face of my
Brother.
Affection.
O dear Lord Jesus ! May I know Thy voice even
when Thou seemest to speak roughly to me ! May I
keep a brave and loyal heart when led in the dark ways
of holy discipline ! May I be steadfast and self-sacrificing
in the Purgative Way, until it pleaseth Thee to bring me
out into the way of Illumination.
Resolution.
To be stead&st to Jesus when deprived of all com-
fort.
Thought.
' Nevertheless, though I am sometimes afraid, yet put
I my trust in Thee.'
THE SUFFERING OF THE WAITING SOUL, 151
%^c buffering of f ^c iSaifing g^oul.
First Prelude, Picture : Joseph's brethren in prison.
Second Prelude. Prayer : O Lord, I beseech Thee
to enlighten my mind and to inflame my will, that I may
learn wisdom by patient waiting.
Consideration.
Joseph put his brothers in ward for three days. They
had been the cause of a long and dreary imprisonment to
him, but no thought of revenge enters his mind. His
action is simply for the sake of gaining time, of giving
them time to think. Before he places them under guard
he swears by the life of Pharaoh ; when they come out he
tells them that he fears God, and shows them what to do
if they fear Him too. He enters into a covenant with
them. They are to leave one brother behind ; they are
to fetch the other. On this condition they were to have
bread for all. Thus does the true Joseph — the Christ—
reveal Himself gradually to the souls He yearns for. He
places them in ward. He gives them time to think, He
keeps one close to Him, He sends for another. He offers
food to all, and all this time they know not the reason,
He reveals Himself and His doings gradually;
Application.
How is God teaching me at the present time? Have
I been journeying, trafficking, occupied busily though
iSa MEDITATIOXS ON GENESIS,
innoceDtly? Have I been oppressing my brethren, or
deceiving my parents? I have come to a sudden check.
I am put in prison. I am given time to think. Perhaps
my prison is bodily infirmity, perhaps mental slowness,
perhaps spiritual weakness^ perhaps the narrowness of
poverty. In any case, it is a check. Perhaps I have
avoided meditation, perhaps I have despised retreats,
perhaps I have refused to spend three days with God.
But He is merciful, and He will be heard. He holds me
with His loving band, and He makes His own conditions.
I have sought His presence, and I am not to break loose.
One brother is to be left, the youngest is to be sought ;
all are to be brought to HinL Had it not been for this,
should I have cared to bring my brother to Him ?
Affection.
O Lord Christ ! I thank Thee for Thy loving cor-
rection. 1 praise Thee for holding me. I entreat Thee
to continue Thy watchful care of me, and I pray Thee
that I may never leave Thee except to bring my brother
to Thee.
Resolution.
To accept any suflfering thankfully. '
Thought.
* Whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth.'
THE REMORSE OF THE AWAKENING SOUL. 153
%\)t Remorse of fl^c Jlwafecning
^Ottl.
First Preltide, Picture: The brethren speaking of
their sin ; Joseph weeping.
Second Prelude. Prayer : O Lord, I pray Thee to
enlighten my mind and to inflame my will, that I may
know and feel all the love Thou bearest to penitent
sinners.
CotJSIDERATION.
Joseph wept for his brethren before they wept for
themselves. The light begins to dawn upon them. The
quiet time has borne fruit. All has come back to them.
The anguish of their brother, the touching words with
which he implored them to have pity on him, their own
hard-heartedness ; and now they are to be punished.
Attrition, or fear of punishment, has come to them ; con-
trition, or sorrow for sin, has yet to come. But the
brother against whom they sinned is weeping for them,
and they knew not that he understood them. They do
as they are told ; they take the first step in the way of
righteousness ; and even then, after this small obedience,
they find a present in their sacks. And so it is with
Christ. He weeps with His erring brethren, and they
know not that He understands them ; yet so great is His
love towards them that the first act of obedience is
abundantly rewarded.
154 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
Application.
A\^en the sins and the mistakes of long-past years
come back to me, and I find out that I am verily guilty
concerning my brother, and verily guilty concerning GoD^
may I remember that my Lord is weeping with me,
though perhaps I know not that He understands me.
The thought of Him will soften my heart, will turn
attrition into contrition, will change remorse into repent-
ance ; and as light increases, love will grow stronger.
He alone can restore, He alone can repair. Let me not
waste time by wrangling with the past, but at once appeal
to Him, the Brother Who wept for my sins on the Mount
of Olives, in the Garden of Gethsemane, on the Cross of
Calvary.
Affection.
O dear Lord Jesus Christ ! Thou Who hast wept
for my sins, help my repentance, and accept my tears !
Grant that, not the fear of punishment, but the love of
Thee may move my heart to true penitence.
Resolution.
After weeping for my sin, to take the first opportunity
of performing some act of obedience.
Thought.
'Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our
sorrows.'
WORKING m THE DARK. 155
iSorifeittg in fl^c ^ar6.
First Prelude. Picture: The nine brethren finding
the money in their sacks.
Second Prelude, Pray for thorough confidence in
God.
Consideration.
Joseph sent his brethren on a painfiil errand. It was
to bring to him the youngest son of their father : his
cherished one, the child of his dearest afiections, the only
one left, as he thought, by his best-beloved Rachel.
Joseph not only sent his brethren back with this sad
business on their minds, but kept one of them bound, in
order to make sure of their return. They had this bad
news also to break to their father. What object could
the governor of the great country of Eg)^t have in taking
away the youngest child of an aged Hebrew in a far
coimtry? And yet he must mean kindly by them, for
their sacks were filled with com, they had provision given
them for the journey, and when they came to the end of
it their money was returned. Wherefore this mixture of
generosity and harshness? They were perplexed, and
their hearts failed them.
Application.
When my soul — ^half enlightened, troubled, and per-
plexed—at last comes to work with God, I must not
expect to be able to understand His ways, nor the reason
156 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
He gives me certain things to do. I have begun to trade
with my Lord and Saviour. His gifts are princely. He
has filled my sack, not only with corn, but with the finest
wheat flour ; He has ftirnished me with provisions for the
way, the Bread of His Sacrament, and the Wine of Joy,
the Water of Life, and the Oil of the Holy Ghost ; and
all these are furnished without money and without price,
the money is all returned, and is in the mouth of my sack.
He is, indeed, a magnificent Ruler, in His hands are
wonderful gifts ; but why does He send me on such sad
errands ? Why does He bind my Simeon ? Why does
He ask for my Benjamin ? Cannot He give me something
to do for Him which I can understand, something I can
enjoy ? No, I must go on working in the dark. I must
carry my message : I must make my sacrifices. I must
help others to make theirs ; and I must be content when
I cannot understand.
Affection.
Lord Jesus, I adore Thee for Thy wonderful and
overflowing bounty ; I know that perplexity and darkness
are means of cultivating a sure trust in Thee : I will love
and praise Thee for ever, only seeking to do Thy Holy
Will
Resolution.
To persevere in the midst of perplexity.
Thought.
* What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt
know hereafter.'
THE RESIGNATION OF THE SORROWFUL SOUL. 157
%\)c ^csignafion of f^c Sorrowful
First Prelude. Picture : Jacob resigning Benjamin.
Second Prelude. Pray for perfect conformity to the
will of God.
Consideration.
Jacob refused to let Benjamin go. But God's hand
is stronger than Jacob's. The famine is sore in the land ;
the pressure of want is great. The brethren must seek
again the face of the ruler — so stern and yet so kind, so
exacting and yet so full of love. They know that they
will receive no com if they leave their youngest brother
at home ; with bitter sorrow Jacob is at last prevailed
upon to let his best-beloved child depart. Having once
made this sacrifice, the generous spirit grows within him ;
double money and a present he orders to be taken :
Israel the Prince behaves like a Prince, and sends the
Prime Minister of Egypt far more than he requires.
Application.
How often have I struggled to avoid complying with
the demands of my Lord and Saviour, and then the
famine has been sore in the land ; a famine sent in mercy
in order to force me to give up my cherished idol. It
may be a famine of the affections, sent to compel me to
158 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
cry out to God for His love ; it may be a spiritual famine,
causing me to fly from the things of God to God Himself.
May I seek, instead of giving Him less, to give Him
more than He asks : not only to send Him my cherished
child, but to send Him double money, silver and gold
purified and tried in the fire, the balm of prayer, the
honey of praise, the myrrh of repentance, the spices of
good works, the nuts and almonds of holy thoughts and
meditations. It may be only a little balm, a little honey,
but it will be a token of my love, a sign of my willingness
to do all His will would have me do ; and the resignation
of the sorrowful soul will be turned into the joy of the
generous soul.
Affection.
O Lord and Saviour 1 I have often withheld from
Thee the very things Thou hast required ; give me a
generous self-sacrificing spirit that I may be willing to
give Thee all. What hast Thou not done for me ! O
make me joyful and glad when I am able to give Thee a
token of my love.
Resolution.
To think * What may I do for God ? ' instead of ' What
i?iust I do for God ? *
Thought.
* God loveth a cheerful giver.'
THE BROTHER'S YEARNING, 159
%\)^ '^rofl^cr's l^carmng.
First Prelude. Picture: Joseph weeping in his
chamber.
Second Prelude, Pray for a deeper sense of the love
of God.
Consideration.
The souls of his brethren are gradually drawn to-
wards Joseph. The salutation * Peace be unto you ' is
given to them all by his steward at the entrance of his
house. His own greeting to Benjamin, the chosen soul,
is * God be gracious unto thee, my son.' Hospitality is
freely extended to them : they are to feast in the presence
of Joseph. Simeon is brought out of prison, Benjamin
gladly welcomed, the feast made ready, their present
accepted, their doubts laid to rest — what a reward for
their obedience 1 But the giver of all this happiness —
where is he ? Weeping in his chamber ; yearning for his
brother. He is weeping for the sins of his brethren \ he
is weeping for the anguish of his father ; he is weeping
for all those long years of absence and alienation ; he is
weeping for the love of his youngest brother, to whom he
cannot yet reveal himself.
Application.
I have caused the tears of one far holier than Joseph
to flow. The Lord Jesus Christ has wept for His
i6o MEDITATIONS OiV GEATESIS,
brethren three times. He wept over their sorrows at the
grave of Lazarus ; He wept over their sins on the Mount
of Olives ; He wept over the weight of their sins and
their sorrows in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had
not, like Joseph, even a chamber to weep in, so He en-
tered into the garden, and wept there. And now wl^at
do I feel about Him ? He has given me His peace ;
He has spread for me His feast ; He has accepted my
poor offering; He is yearning for my heart Have I
given it to Him ? My sins helped to cause His tears :
shall my love add to His joy? At the Grave, on the
Mount, in the Garden of Sorrow, He foresaw all my
sins, all my sorrows, all my faithlessness, all my rejection
of Him. I will ask Him to let me weep with Him that
I may be worthy to feast with Hinu
Affection.
O long-suffering Lord and Saviour ! I adore Thy
sorrows and I thank Thee for Thy tears. Take posses-
sion of my heart, and gradually make it fit for Thee.
Make me to know and feel how great is the love which
caused Thee to weep, and give me true contrition for all
my sins.
Resolution.
To rest more in the great love of the Heart of
Jesus.
Thought.
* Jesus wept*
yOSEPirS FEAST, i6i
^oscpl^'s ^casi
First Prelude. Picture : Joseph's hall. Three tables
set for the banquet.
Second Prelude. Pray to be made worthy to feast
in the kingdom of heaven.
Consideration.
After the weeping follows the feast. After sorrow
comes joy. After the act of obedience comes the reward.
After the wearisome, painful, anxious journey, behold
the dinner in a King's palace. Obedience brings forth
the privilege of warm fellowship and association, but the
brotherly union is not yet accomplished ; there must be
yet more suffering before this takes place in all its fulness.
There must be divisions, orderly and well-marked divi-
sions. The Egyptians eat by themselves, the Hebrews
by themselves, the master of the feast by himself; but
though the eleven eat by themselves, their brother sends
them the best from his own table, and the portions are
not equal, for the youngest receives most And thus, in
this present life there are divisions in the Kingdom of
Grace, and to him who can receive most the largest por-
tion is given ; but in the Kingdom of Glory the union
will be complete, and all who hunger and thirst after
righteousness shall be filled.
M
i62 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
Application.
God has placed me at a table of refreshment in His
own house, the Church. He has given me the food of
His Word, the refreshment of good thoughts and of holy
services ; and not only does He send me the wine of
gladness, the bread of strength, the milk of the word, the
honey of sweetness, the oil of the Spirit, but He gives me
Himself to feed upon. Truly His goodness is a thing to
marvel at ! And yet how seldom am I really thankful !
If I possessed the spirit of Benjamin, I should be treated
like Benjamin. The soul that longs for God with all its
strength is given five times as much as any of the others.
I must accept God's gifts in a loving, thankful spirit. I
will drink of His cup, and rejoice in the Lord.
Affection.
O Lord Jesus Christ ! Loving and merciful ! I
marvel at Thy goodness to me. I adore Thy bounty.
Make me worthy to partake of Thy food. Make me
thankful to Thee, and full of love to the brethren.
Resolution.
To cultivate cheerfulness, and not to despair at the
divisions in the Church.
Thought.
' Rejoice in the Lord.'
JOSEPH'S CUP. 163
§osep]^'s §tt|).
First Prelude. Picture: Benjamin finding the cup
in his sack.
Second Prelude. Pray for confidence in God.
Consideration.
The banquet is finished, the sacks are well filled ; in
the light of the early morning the brethren leave with joy
and thankfulness. Benjamin goes back, Judah is relieved
from care, Simeon is released. They start on their jour-
ney with happy hearts j in a few hours all is changed.
Joseph's cup is found in Benjamin's sack. The cup of
joy is changed into the cup of sorrow. Surprise and in-
dignation at being accused, dismay and misery at finding
the accusation true, agony at the thought of their father's
sorrow — all these feelings arise in the hearts of the
brethren; their sufferings are bitter, they are terribly
punished for the sin of old ; and yet this suffiering is to
draw them still nearer to their brother.
Application.
Have I not found the cup of suffering in my sack of
com? Have I not wondered why my earthly and
spiritual joys are not more complete ? Perhaps I have
banqueted with the Great King, I have received great
gifts, I am hastening home with joy ; suddenly something
strange, mysterious, occurs ; I am falsely accused, wrong
motives are imputed to me, I am bitterly reproached.
What is the reason ? It is to bring me back to the place
M 2
1 64 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
where I have banqueted. Perhaps I have been in too
great a huny to go away. Perhaps I have thought of
the gifts more than of the Giver. Perhaps I cannot find
out the reason, or an)rthing like the reason. There is one
thing for me to do, to get closer to God ; in this I cannot
make a mistake. This, somehow or other, will solve all
the mystery.
Affection.
Most merciful Jesus, I welcome any event, however
strange and mysterious, which will bring me nearer to
Thee. Make all things work for Thy honour and my
salvation. Nothing can separate me from Thee but my
own act j in all my perplexities may I draw close to
Thee!
Resolxjtion.
To keep a cheerful, truthful mind in the midst of
anxiety.
Thought,
* All things work together for good to them that love
God.'
gttftal^'s Offer,
First Prelude, Picture: Judah giving himself as a
ransom for Benjamin.
Second Prelude. Pray for self-abnegation.
Consideration.
The delay, the accusation, the return have already
borne fruit. One of those who had been in the dreadful
JUDAH'S OFFER. 165
secret so many years has the opportunity of self-sacrifice.
He seizes it. * Let thy servant abide instead of the lad
a bondman to my lord.* Twenty years ago Judah little
cared for his father's sorrow. He had saved Joseph's
life, but he had sold him into bondage. He had wil-
lingly entered into the plot to persuade his father that
Joseph was slain by a wild beast. Mature age, sorrow,
discipline had wrought a change in him ; he who had
sold his brother into bondage now offers to be a bond-
man for Benjamin and in his stead ; he who had seen
his father mourn, when a word from him would have
stopped his tears, now offers his own life to save his
father from anxiety ; and thereby Judah becomes a type
of the glorious Lion of Judah Who (though innocent
of all offence) took upon Himself the form of a servant
and gave His life for His brethren.
Application.
I blame Judah's wickedness in selling his brother ;
have I ever tried to imitate Judah in the nobleness of his
offer? Those who have sinned deeply sometimes after
repentance show a wonderful self-sacrifice. I have been
petty and mean in many things. I may have sold my
brother by taking advantage of him, by trpng to get him
out of the way when he has been an obstacle to my
schemes, by keeping him in the background, by getting
into his place in work, in affection, in reputation. When
I have come to a sense of my sin, has my reparation
been complete and generous, like that of Judah ? Whole-
hearted in trying to get everything for myself, I should be
whole-hearted in my self-sacrifice. May I bid farewell
to all selfishness, and give myself up entirely to the good
of others.
i66 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
Affection.
O Lion of Judah ! Who hast given Thyself for me,
infuse into my heart Thy spirit of sacrifice ; grant me
such love for Thee that I may be content to be a servant
of the brethren for Thy dear sake.
Resolution.
To make reparation with all my heart whenever I
have the opportunity.
Thought.
* Restore Thou them that are penitent.'
%\)^ Reconciliation.
First Prelude, Picture: Joseph in his glory sur-
rounded by his brethren.
Second Prelude, Pray for a glimpse of the King in
His beauty.
Consideration.
The offer of Judah has brought deliverance to his
brethren and himself. All their doubts and fears are at
an end. The lad they sold to the travelling merchants
is the ruler of Egypt—- the trusted minister of Pharaoh.
The sheaves of the brethren bow down to Joseph's
sheaf. The sun and the moon and the eleven stars pale
before Joseph's star; and thus it will be when the
Crucifix is beheld by the eye of faith. The Servant of
servants, the Despised and Rejected, is at the right hand
of His Father calling His brethren to come to Him.
We behold Him on the Cross, we see Him in His glory.
The Lamb persecuted and slain is surrounded by wor-
THE RECONCILIATION. 167
shipping angels and the spirits of just men made perfect.
* Come near to Me, I pray you,' is His cry now \ * Depart
from Me,' will be His sentence hereafter on all those who
reject His gracious invitation.
Application.
Do I recognise my Brother ? Do I love to talk with
Him ? If not, why not ? I am blinded by my own self-
love, my own frivolity. I have seen Him on the Cross,
for I helped to put Him there \ have I seen Him in His
glory at the right hand of the Father ? * Come near to
Me, I pray you,' He says to my soul. Do I answer Him,
and draw near to Him, and feed upon Him, as He abides
on the Altar ready to give Himself again and again to
me ? Is it the greatest delight of my heart to hear this
loving call ? If not, why not ? What is the hindrance ?
Too much pleasure, or too much business ? Too little
love, or too little knowledge ?
He is waiting to forgive me all my sins. He is willing
to forget all my forgetfulniess of Him. He only longs
for my complete self-surrender, my co-operation with His
grace \ why do I not give it ?
Affection.
My glorified Lord, I thank Thee for Thy goodness
in showing Thyself to me ; I magnify Thee for Thy great
mercy towards me in calling me to such great privileges ;
I pray Thee to make me know Thee better and love
Thee more.
Resolution.
To turn remorse for my sins into gratitude for Christ's
benefits.
Thought.
*They shall look on Him Whom they pierced.'
i68 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
%^c (Ring's ^iffs.
First Prelude, Picture : The caravan starting to bring
Israel into Egypt.
Second Prelude, Pray for grace to make a right use
of all God's gifts.
Consideration.
Five years of famine were yet to come. Joseph
feared for his father and his brethren. He wished to
have the care of them ; he longed to see them under his
own eyes. The poor exile, who had been sold for twenty
pieces of silver, now gives his youngest brother three
hundred pieces of silver and five changes of raiment,
besides presents to all the others. The King who made
him able to do this, sends ten asses laden with goods,
and ten she-asses laden with provisions for the way,
besides waggons to bring Jacob and all his house. All
is made ready, if he will only take advantage of his privi-
lege. The King of Egypt is profuse in his gifts. He
makes it easy for Israel to come to him ; but the King
of Heaven is more generous still, for He gives us spiritual
gifts. He sends His good things — Faith, Hope, Charity,
and the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost ; and provisions
for the way — the Bread of Life, the Blood of Christ, the
True Faith, the Holy Law, the Heavenly Promises, the
Holy Scriptures, Meditation, Prayer, Instruction, and
Spiritual Reading. The waggons, too, have come for us
THE KINQS GIFTS, 169
— the Pleadings of Preachers, the Grace of Compunction,
Contrition, Confession, and Absolution.
Application.
My Joseph has sent for me, and the King has sent
His gifts. The journey is easy, and there is a warm
welcome at the end of it; but perchance after all I am too
slothful to take it. I prefer remaining quiet, and running
the risk of five years of famine. Let me rouse myself,
and see what wonderful powers and gifts God has sent
me. Have I asked Him to infuse into me Faith, Hope,
and Charity ? Have I prayed for a still larger measure
of the seven gifts that have once been given me? Have
I sought the Holy Eucharist? Have I studied the
Faith? Have I tried to keep the Law? Have I re-
joiced in the Promises ? Have I fed on the Scriptures ?
How have I used Meditation, Prayer, Instruction, and
Reading? And have I complained of the length and
difficulty of the journey, and yet refused to take advantage
of the waggons, and rejected the aid of the Church ?
Affection.
■
I thank Thee, O Holy Jesus, that Thou hast sent me
such gifts, and provided me with so many helps ! Open
mine eyes that I may see, and my mind that I may
understand, so that I may use the gifts best fitted for me,
and adore Thy bounty for ever.
Resolution.
To receive gratefully and enjoy diligently all the
spiritual helps sent to me.
Thought.
* The eyes of all wait upon Thee, O God, and Thou
givest them their meat in due season.'
I70 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
gsrael's Sacrifice.
First Prelude, Picture : Jacob before the altar at
Beersheba.
Second Prelude, Pray for grace to ask counsel of
God.
Consideration.
Jacob in his old age is moving into a new country for
the sake of his far-off son : * I will go and see him before
I die.' He beholds the waggons, the provisions for his
journey. His descendants, his flocks, his herds, and
all that he has, are assembled together ; the start is made,
the new life begun. Yet one thing more : Israel seeks
the blessing of the Lord, and he seeks it at Beersheba, the
place where, many many years ago, his father Isaac had
built an altar, and pitched his tent, and dug a well when
he came up from the valley of Gerar. He remembers
the blessings his father obtained there, and he seeks the
sanction of Jehovah upon his new enterprise in the old
sacred place so dear to his family. He does not seek in
vain. God calls him by his old name of Jacob, speaks
to him of his father, and promises him His support and
presence.
Application.
Am I called away from my house into a far-off
country ? Am I led lo begin a new life in my old age,
amongst strangers ? Let me not decide upon any course
of action until I have taken counsel with God. Let
ISRAEL'S SACRIFICE, 171
me not in heart forsake the old sacred places, but cherish
everything belonging to the religious life of my kindred
and parents, though circumstances may lead me far from
the country where they fed their flocks and their herds.
When members of a family are united in the love and
worship of God, then family ties become doubly sacred :
Isaac's memory becomes dearer to Jacob when present
with the sacrifice ; the Tent and the Well of the father
become more precious to the son because the altar is
also built there; and the altar becomes the place of
counsel, where the command to depart loses all its bitter-
ness. May I seek God's blessing as Jacob did, and
never by words, and self-will, and undue haste, mar the
work He has given me to do.
Affection.
O Lord my God, I thank Thee with all my heart for
giving me the means of knowing Thy Holy Will ; may I
never take a single step without consulting Thee, without
longing to follow Thee, and to do all good works which
Thou hast prepared for me to walk in.
Resolution.
Before making any important decision, to seek counsel
of God at His altar.
Thought.
* It is good for me to draw near to God.'
MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
§et)enJe.
First Prelude. Picture : The long caravan of Israel
going down into Egypt,
Second Prelude. Pray for trust in GoD and a good
courage.
Consideration.
Seventy souls in Egypt Seventy children of Isaac
amongst a strange people. Seventy who knew the true
Goa Seventy representing the Church in the world.
All around the nations of the world were falling into
idolatry. The descendants of Esau and of Ishmael were
losing their holy traditions, and degrading themselves
and their posterity. The inhabitants of Canaan were
falling into the crimes which centuries later were to
cause their destruction by the hands of the descendants
of the Seventy. The Egyptians, the subjects of the
"reatest monarchy of the world, were worshipping beasts
nd cattle. The family of Jacob was selected to cany
le knowledge of the true God to future generations,
'he little knot of Seventy was to be the grain of mustard-
sed springing up into the great tree which was to shelter
!ie birds of all nations. Israel could not foresee his
estiny, but he went on in faith and hope.
Application.
I belong to that Seventy. They are my kindred.
'hey formed the Jewish Church, and this expanded into
lie Christian Church. The Church is small when com-
lared with the world. There are still 800,000,000 of
THE MEETING OF JACOB AND JOSEPH. 173
professed unbelievers against less than 300,000,000 of
professed believers in Christ; and of the professed
believers how few communicants ! and of these few com-
municants how many have given all their heart to God ?
It is a fearful question. Let me answer it for one soul
only — my own. Do I carry on my religious practices ?
Do I value my privileges? Do I witness for the truth,
less by talking than by living, amongst the Canaanites,
the Egyptians, the unbelievers, the lukewarm, the half-
hearted ? If I do, let me go on and take courage. I
know not what eflfect a consistent, well-ordered life may
have. I know not how many spiritual children God will
give me.
Affection.
O God, I thank Thee with all my heart that Thou
hast placed me amongst the Seventy ! I pray Thee to
give me strength to stand firm in the Holy Catholic
Faith, and never to look upon numbers as the test of
truth.
Resolution.
To keep my rule of life quietly and unostentatiously
wherever I may be.
Thought.
* Ye are the salt of the earth.'
^]^c Reefing of gacob an5 §oscpI).
First Prelude, Future: The embrace of Jacob and
Joseph.
Second Frelude, Pray for grace to forget all injuries.
174 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
Consideration.
The suffering, the separation, is over. Father and
son meet once more. The joy of the present effaces
the past Joseph thinks of nothing but the exceeding
delight of meeting. He does not say a word to his
father about his brethren having sold him ; he alludes
not to his past history ; he utters no complaint He drew
them gradually towards him by a wise and well-considered
process ; and then directly they saw their sin, all was
forgiven, all forgotten, and his task seemed to be to com-
fort them. There is not a shadow between him and the
rest of his family : the reuniting of father and son causes
no separation from the others. He goes to Pharaoh,
and asks for leave to settle his brethren in the land of
Goshen. They are to have the best of the land ; they
are to share in his prosperity. He tells Pharaoh nothing
about his brothers' sin ; he speaks not to Israel of the
sufferings he has gone through.
Application.
When I have been injured or overlooked, has my
forgiveness been perfect and entire ? Have I not some-
times spoken spitefully, alluded to past slights, told tales ?
Have I not tried to take advantage of my position in
order to say something to the injury of those who have
ihjured me, even though it may have been done long ago
and repented of bitterly ? And in family matters have I
been careful to share fairly with others, and not use
parental love to their disadvantage? There are many
little points in which I have not attained to perfection in
these matters, even if I cannot call to mind any gross
act of injustice. I must also be careful to avoid any
appearance of reproaching others for bygone deeds. It
REDEMPTION. 175
is well to make a very strict rule on these subjects, and
never to recur to past and repented faults.
Affection.
Almighty God, full of love and affection to all who
turn to Thee, I adore Thy goodness ; and I pray Thee
to give me part of Thy spirit of charity and forgiveness,
that I may never reproach my brethren, and never mar
the joy of my elders and superiors.
Resolution.
Never to complain, never to reproach, never to tell
of injuries.
Thought.
* Behold, how good and joyful a thing it is, brethren,
to dwell together in unity 1 '
'^e5em})fion.
First Prelude, Picture : The Egyptians crowding to
the granaries full of com.
Second Prelude, Pray for gratitude.
Consideration.
Joseph's granaries were full ; the stores of the Egyp-
tians were empty. Their lives were of no value to them
without bread. The forethought of Joseph now proves
176 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
their salvation. But are they to have it for nothing?
First, their money goes to buy bread, then their cattle,
then their land, then themselves. And when they are
totally deprived of everything they have in the world,
Joseph gives it them all back again, only demanding
a fifth part as tribute, which fifth part was probably to
be spent in public works for their own benefit. And is
not this like the way of the true Joseph, the Saviour of
His people ? He has laid up for us abundant stores, and
what does He ask in return ? A full, free, and perfect
dedication of ourselves and all that we have, and when
we have given ourselves up to Him in return for the in-
estimable blessings He has given us. He gives everything
back to us again, only demanding the fifth part, for the
number five, the number of His wounds, is the number
of sacrifice, and the true worship of a Holy Sacrifice is
all He asks from us.
Application.
Have I taken the first step to obtain the Bread of
Salvation ? Have I offered my Saviour my money, my
cattle, my lands ? Have I dedicated to Him my children,
myself? I know He will give me all back again, so per-
haps I have never even taken the trouble to offer Him
anything, but have expected to feed out of the granaries
without any acknowledgment whatever. Or I may have
received all back again, and yet grudge the small part
He requires. I may have murmured at tithes or Church
dues, or offertory collections, or subscriptions, or worst
of all, have denied Him the worship due Lo Him in the
Sacrifice of the Altar. Let me greet with joy and grati-
tude every opportunity of giving my fifth to Him j and
may I hold all my earthly possessions only in trust for
Him, saying, with all my heart, * Thou hast saved my
life.'
JACOB'S LAST LONGING. 177
Affection,
O Lord, my Saviour Jesus Christ ! Thou hast saved
my life I I bless and praise Thee for Thy boundless
generosity, and I pray Thee with all my heart to make
me truly grateful, and anxious to share Thy bounties with
others.
Resolution.
To hold everything I have in trust for Christ, glad
when He claims a part of it
Thought.
* How excellent is Thy loving-kindness, O God ! *
Jacob's Sa^i c^onging.
First Prelude, Picture: Jacob receiving Joseph's
oath.
Second Prelude. Pray for constancy.
Consideration.
The land of Egypt gave Jacob every comfort, luxury,
honour, and consideration. He had no trouble, no
responsibility 3 his son was virtually the ruler of the
country, and all his kindred shared in his prosperity.
But Israel's heart was in the land which God had blessed
and given to him. He knew that God's best blessings
N
178 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
could only be received in God's own land He foresaw,
perchance, the attractions, the temptations towards idol-
atry which his descendants would experience. His heart
yearned even in death for the country of his fathers,
and by the removal of his corpse thither he intended to
bind his sons more strongly to their former home. Eg)^t
was but a temporary home, not an eternal resting-place.
As his soul was to be ^gathered unto his people,' so his
body was to rest amongst their bodies.
Application.
Am I constant in my affections? Do I remember
my Other's home and long to be buried with my kindred ?
I may have a holy love and preference for my home, my
parish, my country. It is a holy feeling when secondary
to the love of God, and one which may serve as a ladder
to many divine affections. It is not to be despised, and
may serve as a safeguard against that affectation of a
philosophical disregard for Christian burial, which breaks
down holy reverence for the body as the temple of the
Holy Ghost, and weakens belief in the Resurrection.
And as, wherever I may be called, my heart should turn
with love to its own land, so wherever I may dwell, my
spirit should find its true home in the Land of Blessing
where my Father dwells ; and no luxury, no honours, no
pleasures ishould chain me to the low flat country of ease
and comfort
Affection.
O God of my life ! I thank Thee that Thou hast
given me a Land of Promise to which mine eyes may
' turn in death as well as in life ; grant that my heart may
be ever in the Home with Thee, and my longing ever be
for my kindred — those who have departed this life in
Thy faith and fear.
UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS. 179
Resolution.
To pass through the world without getting absorbed
in it, and particularly to avoid any occupation which is
too engrossing.
Thought.
* Here we have no continuing city, but we seek one
to come.'
^ttcjcpccfc6 ^IcssittQS.
First Prelude, Picture : Jacob in his old age receiv-
ing Joseph and his grandsons.
Second Prelude, Pray for gratitude.
Consideration.
Jacob settled in Egypt, prosperous, all his sons in
favour of the King, his son Joseph the chief ruler, the
Prime Minister ; his grandsons before him, his descend-
ants numerous and likely to carry his name to the end
of the world. He looks back to the days of his misery,
when he was weeping for Joseph and longing to see his
face, and he cries as he embraces his grandchildren, * I
had not thought to see thy face ; and lo I God hath
showed me also thy seed.' Happy the soul that acknow-
ledges God's bounty ; happy the soul that is aware of it,
for blessings are heaped upon some and they will not
thank God for them ; and blessings are heaped upon
others and they seem to be not even aware of them.
How often, too, a soul mourns because it is denied the
N 2
i8o AfEDITATIONS ON GENESIS
blessing it craves, and in the end more is given than it
could ever have hoped for.
Application,
Have I not, like Jacob, shed bitter tears because I
could not have the blessing my soul longed for? And
Jiave I not, like him, received tenfold in the end ? The
very circumstances I have most deplored have been the
causes of my greatest happiness in later life. And if
this has been the case in earthly things, how much more
in spiritual things ! Many a time have I mourned be-
cause I could not see the face of Jesus, and at last I
have attained to a truer vision of Him, and not only
have my own spiritual eyes been blest by the sight of
Him, but I have seen His seed, I have rejoiced in the
great company of the faithful, I have been brought not
only to Him, but to the society of those who draw their
being from Him, the Holy Catholic Church. Instead of
desponding, I must expect blessings \ instead of mourn-
ing after Joseph, I will look forward to seeing not only
Himself but His devoted children.
Affection.
My Saviour ! I thank Thee for showing Thyself to
me and for making me known to Thy children ! I have
pined for Thee, and I have longed for comfort ; Thy love
and the love of Thy Church is dearer to me than all other
love \ may I always be steadfast, and true, and grateful.
Resolution.
To cultivate joy and gratitude, particularly for such
and such mercies.
Thought.
' I have replenished every sorrowful souL'
JOSEPH'S FILIAL REVERENCE, i8i
§oscp]^'s 3?ilial ^CDCtrcncc.
First Prelude. Picture : Joseph prostrating himself
before Jacob.
Second Prelude, Pray for reverence to age.
Consideration.
Israel embraced his young grandsons. Joseph brought
them out from between their grandfather's knees, and
placed them in a reverent position to receive his blessing.
He then prostrated himself, bowing himself with his face
to the earth. The great Ruler of Egypt acknowledges
what is due to his father ; the son of the head of the tribe
honours the priesthood of Jacob. That father, that priest
of the family, was old aiid blind ; he could not see the
marks of honour given to him, but nevertheless Joseph
rendered them carefully and willingly. In these days the
blessing of the head of a family has no special patriarchal
dignity, no special priestly significance ; but it is a real
blessing coming from God, and showing forth His Father-
hood, and should be valued as a great gift and one worthy
of deep gratitude.
Application,
How have I behaved to my parents ? Have I sought
the approbation of the world more than theirs ? Have I
undervalued their blessing ? Have I been impatient with
their infirmities ? I have much to accuse myself of with
regard not only to my parents but also to others who are
,8j meditations on genesis.
aged and venerable ; not only relations, but also those
who are set over me — authorities spiritual and temporal.
As Joseph gave reverence to his father, though the latter
was blind and could not see him, so let me gjve all due
honour to those who ought to have it, even though they
be unaware of it— blind it may be, and even careless. I
dishonour myself if I fail in this, much more than I can
possibly dishonour them ; but most of all I dishonour
G^, whose Fatherhood I ought to honour m all vener-
able and aged persons.
Affectios.
O Blessed Saviour! Who hast said 'I honour My
F,ther • teach us so to honour our parents and elders that
Father, teacn u ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^
we may some day M mec
ever.
Resolution.
; to behave respectfully to my elders.
Thought,
uf thy father and thy mother.*
p!^ratm an6 ^ttnosse^.
•■elude. Picture : Israel with his hands on the
>hraim and Manasseh.
Prelude. Pray for acceptance in the sight of
EPHRAIM AND MANASSEff, iS^
Consideration.
Isaac unwittingly and perforce blessed his younger
son. Jacob wittingly and of set purpose blessed his
younger grandson. Both were fulfilling the will of God.
And the blessing was fulfilled. Ephraim became the
ancestor of the royal tribe of the kingdom of Israel.
Ephraim possessed the field of Shechem ; Ephraim
became the forefather of Joshua, Ephraim became the
home of Jesus Christ during His dwelling in Nazareth.
And why was Ephraim the younger thus distinguished
above Manasseh the elder ? Perhaps God saw in him
the signs of a more devout and religious disposition;
perhaps it was to show that God is not bound by the
customs of mankind ; perhaps it was to foreshadow the
calling of the Gentiles instead of the Jews. God's ways
are not our ways, and we can but bless His holy will
and confide in His infinite wisdom.
Application.
Am I not often surprised at God's choice ? I honour
Manasseh, but He honours Ephraim. I look at persons
through the eyes of the world, I see them as society sees
them, I hear their characters discussed by the set among
whom I dwell, and I am but too much inclined to judge
them with the judgment of the world. But the eldest in
birth may be the youngest in faith, the greatest in station
may be the smallest in good works, the highest in the
world's wisdom may be the lowest in the things of God.
And all these virtues may be hidden and known only to
God, for man cannot see into the heart of man. Let me
never judge who is most worthy, for this is only known
to the Maker of alL
is4 meditations on genesis.
Affection.
O God and Father of us all ! Thou hast in ■ Thy
great mercy called us to love and serve Thee ; may I
ne\-cr contend for the highest place, hut try to do my
bent and leave all else to Thee, knowing that whether I,
and those I love, have the light or the left hand on our
hoaJs, we have infinitely more than we deserve.
Resolution.
To accept God's decrees with a thankful heart.
Thought,
' The last shall be first, and the first last.'
^e blessing of fl&e ^rell^ren.
First Prelude. Ficlure: The Twelve standing before
their Father.
Second Prelude. Pray for grace to lay a good foun-
dation.
Consideration.
: Patriarch speaks the last words to his sons,
disobedient, cruel and merciful, reverent
they are all gathered before him. The
to him, and all approaching one by one
age. What anxiety, what jealousy, what
, and yet what reverent awe on the part of
THE BLESSING OF THE BRETHREN, 185
I •■ I I ■ ■ ■ ■ - ■ ■ _
his sons, as one by one the aged hand is laid on the
head of each, and the words spoken which reveal past
sins and future destinies ; the eldest, deprived of the
birthright for sins committed long ago ; the second and
third, reminded of past cruelty ; Judah blessed and
praised — he who offered himself as a ransom for his
brethren made the ancestor of Him Who paid the ransom
for His brethren ; Joseph singled out for a double bless-
ing, and made the ancestor of two tribes ; whilst Ben-
jamin, the gentle child, was to become the successful
warrior. Each received exactly the measure he had
deserved, the blessing he had earned by his own con-
duct
Application.
As in worldly things so in spiritual things, we reap
what we have sown. My Heavenly Father will one day
give me my place. Where will it be ? On the left hand
or on the right? Amongst the sheep or the goats?
Whichever it be, it will be according to my deserts.
Do I not find even now how vain it is to blame cir-
cumstances for my faults, mistakes, and misfortunes ? I
owe them entirely to my own former want of discipline,
my wanton tongue, my heartless action, my cruel taunt.
These have come back to me years and years afterwards,
constantly reminding me how different things might have
been had I exercised more self-control, and shown more
humility.
Affection.
O Heavenly Father, I love Thee ; visit not upon me
my past sins, place me with Judah and Joseph, not with
Reuben and Simeon ; for though I have sinned, I repent,
and I grieve that I have ever offended Thee.
iS6 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS.
Resolution.
To walk warily, remembering my latter end.
Thought.
' What a man sows that shall he also reap.'
^]^e blessing of gu5ai^.
First Preltuie, Future: Jesus Christ entering
Jerusalem.
Second Prelude, Pray for grace to see Christ in the
Old Testament.
Consideration.
The blessing of Judah reached far beyond himself.
It is full of Jesus Christ, Who was descended from
Judah by His earthly descent. The sceptre had only
just departed from Judah. when the King of Peace arrived.
The gathering of the people began then, and has been
going on ever since. The ass's colt and the choice vine
were bound together when the True Vine made His
entry on the foal which symbolised the growing Church ;
the bloody sweat of Gethsemane was richer than the
blood of grapes. The eyes of the Lord were red with
the blood of His sufferings, though His teeth were white
with the milk of sweet doctrine and the law of loving-
kindness ; and the Conqueror of all the powers of evil
shows Himself to us in most pathetic Majesty.
THE BLESSING OF JUDAH, 187
Application.
Jacob foresaw this so many hundred years ago, and
can I not see it now ? Abraham rejoiced to see Christ's
day, and does it not awaken any feeling of gratitude and
joy in me ? Jacob looked forward, and I look back ; but
our gaze centres in the Saviour of the world. The bless-
ing of Judah extends to the whole world, the True Vine
spreads His branches over the Universe. I wonder that
the blessing is not more valued by others, but do I behave
as if I valued Him as my chiefest treasure ? Do I de-
light in tracing Him in the Law and the Prophets ? Do I
look forward to seeing Him take possession of His king-
dom ? If not, what is it which comes between Him and
me?
Affection.
O Blessed Saviour, long-expected Messiah, grant me
grace to meditate upon Thee with a more thankful heart.
Grant that I may see Thee in the past, and live in Thee
in the present, and look forward to being with Thee for
ever in the future.
Resolui'icn.
To look iior Christ ever3rwhere in Holy Scripture.
Thought.
* In Whom we have redemption through His blood.*
i88 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
%}ic @at)c of ^acl^pclal^.
First Prelude, Picture : Jacob's funeral procession.
Second Prelude, Pray for deadness to the world.
Consideration.
Jacob had a royal funeral, for the mourning for an
Egyptian King lasted seventy days. This mourning was
made for him before his body was taken away from the
land of Egypt. And when the great procession reached
the land of Canaan, another, mourning of seven days was
made for him, a mourning so great and so full of lament-
ations that the place between Jordan and Jericho was
named after it — 'the mourning of the Egyptians.* The
whole of that land had been promised by God to Abraham
and his descendants, and how much had they now in
possession ? Only a grave, the grave of their ancestors :
they laid down Jacob in the same place with Abraham
and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah and Leah. And then
the long procession wended its way back to Egypt;
strangers and pilgrims, destined to live under a foreign
yoke ; and yet lords of Palestine, and ancestors of the
Kingdom of Christ.
Application.
A glorious future has been promised to me, and yet
sometimes I am tempted to think there is nothing for me
>^"t a flrave. Behind me, I see the graves of my ancestors ;
THE CAVE OF AMCIiPELAh, 189
around me, I see the graves of my kindred ; before me
I see my own grave. And yet I am a member of Ghrist^
a child of God, an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven ;
and how have I become so ? Through a grave. The
grave and gate of death. I am buried with Christ in
Baptism. My part in the Promised Land at present is a
grave. What a call to a mortified life ! What a call
to complete mastery over my corrupt will ! This land of
graves will some day be a land of delight ! This path of
mortification will some day be a royal road of triumph !
But it must be in God's own good time, after long service,
after hard fighting, after much lamentation and mourning
and woe ! The end, however, is sure and certain, and
why should my heart fail me ?
Affection.
Preserve me, Lord Jesus, through the ways of this
troublesome world, and grant that I may never be dis-
couraged by the signs and the tokens of death, but know
and feel that they must precede the joy of life and
immortality, and that if I am truly buried with Thee I
shall rise with Thee.
Resolution.
To look beyond the grave ; from Machpelah to Sion.
Thought.
' O grave I where is thy victory ?
I90 MEDITATIONS ON GENESIS,
^^c '3Jo5b of goscp]^.
First Prelude, Picture : The ark or chest containing
the body of Joseph.
Second Prelude, Pray to be kept faithful to Christ
Consideration.
The last action recorded of Joseph is a full, free, and
entire forgiveness of his brethren. The fear of the con-
sequences of this sin still pressed upon their minds : they
sent a messenger first to beg for further assurance of
forgiveness, they then came themselves. There was no
necessity. Joseph had forgiven them long ago. His
last words testify to his love for his nation ; he had not
become Egyptian in spirit, he looked forward to the
Promise, and he wished his brethren to look forward too.
His body was to be embalmed and carefully guarded
until the time of the Exodus. It was to be a perpetual
witness to them that they were only pilgrims and strangers.
I'he care of it would remind them constantly that they
had nothing to do with the idolatry of the Egyptians. It
was only a dead body — the spirit had departed ; but it
was a holy and a sacred trust, and a sign that they were
a separate people and set apart for a sacred future.
Application.
The Hebrews had the dead body of Joseplx I have
the living Body of Christ. They had to keep watch
and ward, they had to embalm and to enshrine the
THE BODY OF JOSEPH. 191
remains of their chief. He could do them no good ; he
could give them no help in their journey, and yet they
were to bear him with them — the image and type of a
greater thing to come. I have no mere sign, no mere
embalmed body to keep me separate, and to be a witness
against the idolatry of the people of the land ; but I have
the Body and the Blood, the Soul and the Divinity of the
living Christ, not only to lead and guide me on my way,
but to feed me with a heavenly and spiritual food after a
heavenly and spiritual manner. Do I realise the wonder-
ful privileges sent me ; do I make my journey to the
Promised Land a holy journey, full of reverence and
awe, because I know my Living Chief is with me?
Affection.
My Lord, I worship Thee and praise Thee for Thine
infinite love in giving me Thyself to help me On my way.
Grant that I may value the wonderful privileges Thou
hast given ; grant that I may feel that no journey under-
taken without Thee can ever bring a blessing.
Resolution.
To take no step without the Lord.
Thought.
* The Body ot Our Lord Jesus Christ which was
given for Thee.*
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